Beneath the Darkness
by geegi
Summary: They never thought it would come to this. After all allies have left MiddleEarth, they realize that their quest is not yet over, it hasnt even begun. The Darkness is conquring, and the striving battle to save MiddleEarth continues. 4th book of trilogy
1. Chapter 1 The Unexpected Letter

Chapter 1  
The Unexpected Letter   
  
Samwise Gamgee sat in his wicker chair staring out the window into the cold. His thoughts wondered into the night. It had been almost 5 years since Frodo Baggins his best friend and companion had gone with the elves to the Undying Lands. It was 5 years ago that evil fell and good and beauty triumphed.  
  
Frodo was not the only other to go, Gandalf the White, a wizard known as the disturber of the peace, also left at the aid of Frodo, and Bilbo Baggins, in his old age left with the ring bearer and the wizard. The only companions, left of his knowing were Perigrin Took and Meridoc Brandybuck. They had settled down back in the shire. Perigrin Took had married Diamond of Long Cleeve. Sam and Perigrin and Meridoc rarely spoke to each other in these long months that never seemed to go by. His life drowned on, day by day, fearing his strength may never return. The long fearful journey had almost taken his life, but yet he still lingered her in Middle-Earth. The gardener's ignorance had always had the question why? Was his task not yet over? Was there still something here in this world left for him to do?  
  
He took his pipe out of his vest pocket. It was the same pipe him and Frodo had smoked together sitting on the cliff overlooking the shire. He was still a young hobbit only at the age of 33, but his weary body felt like a castaway ready to die. He didn't long for another adventure. He had a family that he cared for. His wife, Rose, was a short beautiful woman and had hair that reflected the sun. His offspring were young, not quite the age of 7. Every night his oldest, Elanor would ask him to tell the story.  
  
''Papa would you tell me the story of Frodo and the Ring?''  
  
''Of course my boy, its one of my favorite stories.''  
  
''Frodo was really brave wasn't he dad.''  
  
''He sure was, one of the most favorites of hobbits.''  
  
He leaned back in his chair, remembering the great time Frodo and he had together through the woods talking about what a story this adventure would make. It all seamed like a dream now. '' Why, your forgetting one of the most important characters, Samwise the Brave. Mr. Frodo wouldn't have gone far without Sam.'' Frodo had said looking back at him with tired eyes. Sam could just remember the look on his face. Full of weary it was, and also full of gratitude. Frodo was a brave one, yes, a very brave one indeed.  
  
His thoughts strained out of time and he sat there for hours, the cold wind blowing through the trees outside in the quiet of the shire. Things were not as peaceful now as they were 5 years ago when all evil was thought to be overtaken. Outside there was a whisper of the wind and there had been rumor of a shadow in the east. But the people here in the Shire did not know of this. The people of the Shire did not know of much in the outside world. They took much notice of Sam now that he was back and he had visitors coming to him everyday.  
  
The gardener referring to Samwise Gamgee because of in the first book of him spying on Gandalf and Frodo. His excuse was he was cutting the grass amongst the window.  
  
Many wondered what ever happened to Frodo Baggins, but all he could tell them was that he went on a long vacation and that he may never return. Only Sam and his dear friends Merry and Pippin had knowledge of the real reason. For if anyone had found out about the ring of power and the adventure of destroying it, many of the Shire folk would think their journey was in vain. For many of the Shire folk were old, weary people who were only interested in their own good. But this did not bother old Samwise.  
  
It was a late hour of night and the moon rose high above the trees. Sam put down his pipe and headed down the hall to his bedroom. The old wooden floor creaked beneath his hairy feet. This house was old, made almost a century ago, but was still in good shape. His garden in the back grew rapidly during these summer months. Sam had always had a love for plants. He loved to study all kinds of flowers, big, small, and in between. Now that he was back from his adventure the time seemed slowed. He had all the time in the world to do what ever he wished. But this did not please him. He did not want to fill his time with useless things. His body dreaded adventure but his mind longed for it.  
  
As he walked down the creaky hallway a sudden rustling came from the other direction. Noises like that of a falling object. He turned and walked the opposite direction towards the front of his dwelling. His feet moved lightly, not to scare the helpless intruder. As he approached the front door he stopped, Nothing. He pressed his rounded ear against the door, Nothing. His trembling hand reached for the knob and grabbed it tight. The fear of a helpless creature was small, for he had seen much worse. He pulled the door open and found something he did not expect. A small blue envelope the size of hand was sitting on the ledge of the ascent. Great green ferns, and wildflowers surrounded his stairs. This brush could give cover to any size of creature. Sam leaned down over his overly large body and picked up the small envelope casing being aware of any wild creature lingering by watching him from the shadows. The package was barley noticeable from the side view, and as light as a feather, nothing was held in its claim. "Who's there!" he yelled with such intensity. ''Show yourself!'' but nothing came out to claim what was left. He looked closely at the small package, and as the moon shown upon it silver shining words appeared almost like magic.  
  
Samwise Gamgee  
  
1798 Lane The Shire  
  
The wind whipped upon his face like bullets through the flesh of a man. "A storms coming. A mighty storm." He said. Looking up once more to maybe spot the intruder, he turned around and stepped into his home in the side of the  
hill.  
(( 


	2. Chapter 2 Meeting of Old Friends

Chapter 2  
Meeting of Old Friends Outside in the Shire the wind howled like an injured animal wailing for help, but there was no one to help it. Just like now. Sam could feel it, something was about to happen but no thoughts came to his feeble brain. If something were to happen who would come? The elves? They had all sailed to the undying lands with the rest of their kin. Would the dwarfs come? Dwarfs only cared about their own good fortune and cared nothing of the world of men. Would men come? Would men fight for the good of Middle-Earth?  
  
But what was coming? All of evil had fallen or so they thought when Frodo had thrown the Ring into the fires of Mount Doom along with the evil creature Gullum. But what no one knew except the one who could see all, that a new evil had risen and that that evil would try to take over Middle- Earth once again for power and glory.  
  
As Sam walked through his underground house the little blue envelop grew heavier and heavier. And Sam noticed these things going on and was greatly puzzled by them. ''What sort of magic was this? Was it meant so a certain person would not inherit this somewhat important letter?'' Thought after thought raced through his mind as he walked down the narrow hallway. A sort of fear filled his body and he could feel his heart pounding powerfully in his chest. He came to his kitchen and laid the letter delicately on the wooden table. He could hear his blood pumping through his veins and his muscles tightening. Slowly he picked up the letter and ripped it open. The envelope was made of a tough material able to withstand any sort of weather and condition. He pulled out of the envelope, a small card. On the card was a message written neatly with ink.  
Be of ware Samwise Gamgee for a new evil is arising that now only you are aware of. Be aware of this danger and always stay on your guard. For the people of Middle-Earth need your assistance for only yours you can give.  
  
This message was quite clear. But Sam's mind could not picture this, as it should be.  
  
"How could a new evil be arising? Wasn't all evil destroyed? Was our journey for nothing?" This letter was not signed but only a warning to him personally. But who should fight for Middle-Earth but Sam? Was he to fight alone?  
  
All kinds of thoughts triggered in his mind. He had been right. Something was going to happen. Something far worse then that of before. But one thought lingered in his intellect, who was the unspecified deliverer of the small package? Was he the writer of the letter or just a deliver? He had not seen the creature but knew of its existence. He could not think he decided that in the morning he would go to his acquaintances and tell them about his message.  
  
He walked down the long hallway once again to their bedroom to find Rose fast a sleep. He would not dare tell her about this until he knew more about it for his own good. He did not want to burden her with worries just yet. The time with his family was ending; he could feel it. He crept beside the bed, and changed out of his well-worn clothes. He leaned over and kissed Rose daintily not to wake her. He remembered the time they had met. It was two years before Bilbo's ellevendy first birthday. But the time would come when he would have to leave her and all would be lost.  
  
He laid back into the soft bed made of goose feathers, and fell asleep not knowing what tomorrow would bring.  
  
Outside the world was changing from summer to autumn. The atmosphere grew cold and the trees began to fade. Everything began to look depressed and lonely. And everyday as Sam woke up he thought of his best friend Mr. Frodo and wondered what his life contained now. Was he thinking of him as he did the same? Sam felt lonely now in his life without anyone to talk to. Without anyone to discuss his problems. Without anyone to share his feelings. Sure there was the Shire folk but their problems were different that his. They did not go on a 2-year adventure and face the most horrid and terrifying creatures in Middle-Earth. The only ones that understood were Meridoc Brandybuck and Perigrin Took . Surely they would understand and help him. But Sam would need much more help than that. It all though depended on the danger there was and that he did not know. After he had eaten and dressed, he set off down the road to the houses of Master Brandybuck and Master Took. He was apprehensive that their minds had slipped out of the thought of remembering who he was since it had been 5 long years.  
  
The gravel from the newly graded road slipped between his hairy toes as he walked slowly. The sunshine shone on the dying flowers and the wind slowed. It would not be long now before a white blanket would cover the land and hide everything from the sun's view. In the east though it never snowed. Only in the mountains where the atmosphere was thin and climate cold is where it ever snowed. The road was long to the house of his friends, almost a distance of 1 mile. It took a great deal of time to get there but soon enough he came across the house of Merry and next door, the house of Pippin. Pippin was married but they didn't go a day without visiting one another.  
  
Sam walked up to the door and knocked heavily at it. The door opened and there stood Merry.  
  
"Sam?" He asked with question in his voice.  
  
"Yes it is I. He said. My good friend how are you?'' "Well come in, yes come in.''  
  
The sweet smell of second breakfast filled his house. And the inside looked a bit much like that of his own. Inside sat Pippin eating a roll and drinking hot tea.  
  
"Sam?" he asked.  
  
"Pip!" replied Sam walking over and shaking his hand in greeting.  
  
"So how has my old friend been?" Merry asked.  
  
"Not so well I'm afraid. You see I have received a letter that is quite disturbing." He pulled out the letter and showed it to Merry. He looked at it closely and threw it down. He then reached into his own vest pocket and pulled out a message as well.  
  
"Here, I have received the same."  
  
"How could this be?" he asked with an unsure tone.  
  
"I don't know my dear friend, I just don't know."  
(( 


	3. Chapter 3 The Undying Lands

Chapter 3  
The Undying Lands  
  
Mr. Frodo awoke every morning to the smell of fresh mountain air and sunshine pouring in through the open window. His room was decorated highly of gold and silk, with jewels on the headrest of his bed. And everyday when he awoke he knew that this day would be perfect. He would never go hungry, never be tired, and never feel weary again.  
  
Here in the city of Redell, the water flowed constantly through the city and everything glittered with gold. It really was paradise, where there would be no evil and no troubles, for the rest of his days. Here he lived with the elves. The queen Galadriel and the king Elrond lived here and took care of all the Undying Lands. With Galadriel and Elrond's gift of foresight, they could see the past present and future if all of Middle- Earth.  
  
Galadriel often talked with Frodo about the world of men. Frodo always wondered why she spoke of things. They didn't matter any longer. It was all in the past. But she was not only talking about the past; she often talked about the future of his best friend Sam Gamgee. Everyday he wished he could spend time with the people he loved, his friends, Sam, Merry, and Pippin.  
  
Frodo often spent long hours talking with Gandalf about his adventure into Mordor and his experience at Mount Doom.  
  
His finger had healed fully and now and it had grown back to its full length. Although his wound across his chest would never heal fully, the pain had ceased to come back since they had passed into the Undying lands.  
  
Frodo sat up wide-awake in his bead made of gold and silk and looked out onto his balcony overlooking Redell. The city was peaceful for it was an early hour of morning. The swans glided elegantly across the lake, ignoring the sound of the distant waterfall. The city reminded Frodo of Rivendell and Lorein, both the past homes of the elves. But surly this was the elf's paradise. Everything they could ever want was right at their fingertips.  
  
Bilbo walked out from his bedchamber down below.  
  
"Good morning my boy, cone and have some tea if you will." He cried giving a hearty laugh.  
  
"Early morning tea never spoils you does it Bilbo." He hurried back into his room and dressed. Running down the stairs quickly, he entered the room of Bilbo Baggins.  
  
"Come my boy, sit down." he said gesturing him a stool. On the table were cookies, cakes, and tea just brewed.  
  
Bilbo sat down around the gleaming table. His face was young again and his eyes gleamed with delight. Frodo himself had grown young too. He looked the same as he did before the great adventure. He felt new and young, ready for another adventure, but in his heart, he knew that Gandalf would not grant him one.  
  
"So my lad, tell me of your adventure, I want to know everything." His eyes grew wide just like a child Bilbo told his adventure stories to.  
  
"Everything? Why that would take years." said Frodo. "I could not possibly tell you everything, too many memories, the pain is too great." Frodo looked down at his feet. The hair was neatly groomed and laid flatly against the texture of his feet.  
  
"Well tell me what passed in time after the coming of Rivendell."  
  
"After we left Rivendell with the 9 companions of the ring, we tried to go through the Mountain Pass, but Saruman's powers were too strong against us. He tired to bring down the mountain, so we had no other choice but to go through the Mines of Moria, the dwarf kingdom of Gimli's brother. The mines were a dreadful place, full of death... and fear. The journey grew more dangerous and could only end in death. As we passed through the mines, we entered a chamber of the tomb of Gimli's brother. It was there that we became noticed intruders. Pippin had awaked the evil that lay beneath us in the tunnels and we ran, and fought, for all our life was worth. But something lay beneath the shadows that only Gandalf knew of. For the dwarfs had dug too deep and awoken a thing of night, and fire. It had more power that all the orcs and goblins combined. As we passed over a bridge, Balrog arose...and Gandalf fell to his death.  
  
Frodo was frightened. It was not the first time he had cried, but it was a time he'd never forget.  
  
"But he's here with us now!" said Bilbo  
  
"Yes, I know, but I thought his days were over and that without his guidance, I would never see the Shire again."  
  
"But it is in the past now and everything is all right."  
  
"Yes, I know, but there is a feeling inside me that says that evil is not done. Something is coming Bilbo, I can feel it."  
  
Frodo and Bilbo sat together for hours talking merrily about the Shire life, their relatives and wealth. There, the days passed quickly by, as if in a dream,  
  
"Bilbo if I may, I must go for a walk, do you care to join me?"  
  
"No my lad, I much care to stay in my bed and dream of impossible things." He gave a deep laugh and Frodo left and walked among the luscious green trees on the sidewalk made of gold. The city was small, so much as to walk through it in as less than an hour. He walked a short distance and stopped in front of the dwelling of his good friend, Gandalf. He knocked patiently on the hard wood door, but no answer came. He opened the door quietly to find no one in the room. Papers were lying everywhere and Gandalf was nowhere to be found. Frodo went out with a stern look on his face. Where could he be? Frodo ran at a slow jot to the majestic palace of the Queen Galadriel. The guards stood there with uncertain eyes.  
  
"I am here to speak to the Queen." Said Frodo.  
  
They led him in slowly, to a hall filled with a blue tint, with glowing lanterns on the side, and a marble staircase leading up the middle. It was there that Queen Galadriel sat. She looked up, as if waiting for his arrival and said, "I welcome you Frodo Baggins."  
  
"My lady, I have come with questions worth asking to you."  
  
"I know what you shall ask, and I will tell you," Her words were silent and her lips did not move. She spoke to his mind and he understood, although he could not do the same.  
  
"Come "she said leading him down a long hallway, with waterfalls and streams flowing through the very center of it. She walked with great silence, as all elves did, graceful, and free. She led him to a place he had seen before. A large basin was in the middle.  
  
"It is Galadriel's mirror, you have seen it before, and now I bring you to it again." She dipped a large pitcher in a nearby stream and poured the clear water into the basin. Frodo stepped up to the basin and looked down. The water shivered but he only saw his reflection. He looked away to see Galadriel looking intensely into the water. He looked back down and things appeared. He was Sam with his children reading them a story although he couldn't make out what it was. He then saw evil. He saw Sam fighting helplessly all alone with no one to help him. He was Saruman leading a band of orcs and goblins towards Sam. But then it all stopped. He looked up at Galadriel and stared at her.  
  
"What does this mean?" he asked.  
  
"This is what shall pass if your friend Sam does not fight. The evil one will send his armies out after him to kill him and to kill all of Middle- Earth."  
  
"Can't we help him, is there nothing we can do?" cried Frodo with despair in his eyes.  
  
"Yes there is something we can do. Although neither you nor I can go, there are some that can. The ones who choose freely to go, with their own will. They and only they shall go, and no one can force them."  
  
"But what can I do? I want to help him, he needs me!" he cried.  
  
"Yes there is something you can do, I will allow you to write to him explaining the danger and urging him to fight. But I warn you, you must not sign your name, not just yet."  
  
"How will it get to him? It would take months to travel there."  
  
"I will send someone that will be his companion there in Middle-Earth. You must not worry Frodo Baggins.  
  
Frodo left the palace and wandered back to his bedchamber. He pulled out a off-white piece of paper and wrote  
Be of ware Samwise Gamgee for a new evil is arising that now only you are aware of. Be aware of this danger and always stay on your guard. For the people of Middle-Earth need your assistance for only yours you can give.  
  
And with that he sealed it in a blue envelope for blue was the color of the elves. He delivered it to Galadriel and went to bed under the starlit sky.  
(( 


	4. Chapter 4 Redell Falls

Chapter 4  
  
Redell Falls  
  
"Where is it?" a dark voice asked.  
  
"I, I don't have it, its not here!" yelled Sam.  
  
"I shall ask you this once more."  
  
"I told you, it was destroyed, it's gone."  
  
But he would not listen. He drew his sword out of his black belt and... Flash. Frodo awoke in his bed. He felt as if he had been thrown in a lake of rushing water. It was a late hour of night and the moon shown brightly over the gleaming waterfall. This dream was something of Galadriels working. Somehow she had the gift to speak to minds. She wanted him to know of the danger, but yet she would not let him go back to fight. What did she want from him? His mind wondered for many minutes. He finally rolled over. But he could not go to sleep.  
  
It was then that he heard a voice.  
  
"Come to me." He knew that voice. The majestic, beautiful voice, full of mystery, and glory. He slowly got out of bed and walked slowly down the staircase. He felt s if he was sleepwalking. His steps were soundless, as not to wake anyone. He listened hard for her voice again but it ceased to return. He stepped out into the warm night and walked slowly down the glimmering path. The night was calm, except for a low wind moving through the trees.  
  
He came to a spot by the quiet lake. It was there that he saw her. She stood silent by the water. Her dress sparkled like stars in the sky and her crown glittered as it reflected the moonlight.  
  
"What do you want of me?" he asked. But she said nothing. She just looked into the water as if in deep thought. Minutes passed and finally she turned to him.  
  
"Saruman does not know the ring was destroyed. It is something Sauron cannot tell him. Sauron speaks to his mind, like I speak to yours."  
  
"But how can this be, was not Saruman killed. Wormtongue slit his throat."  
  
"Did not Gandalf die and rise again? Sauron has brought Saruman back to life to again control of Middle-Earth once and for all. It is all up to Saruman, now the Black, to destroy Middle-Earth. If the creatures of Middle- Earth do not fight, it will fall. I have foreseen it. There is nothing we can do but warn."  
  
"But I cannot just linger here and watch all of Middle-Earth go out of existence. "  
  
"You have no choice. You must stay here if you want to remain immortal."  
  
Frodo sat and wept bitterly for his friend and for all of Middle-Earth. He sat up and looked out onto the water.  
  
"Who will come?" He asked with despairing eyes. "There is no one left. Many of the elves are here and not many will want to return back and never be immortal again. It is all hopeless, so hopeless."  
  
"It is not hopeless my Frodo, many of the creatures of Middle-Earth will fight for the wellbeing of their land. It will be all right you will see."  
  
She sat up and looked out past a distant tree behind her.  
  
"Come out you woman of the day, for you do not belong in the shadows." She said. A woman taller than Frodo walked out from behind. She was as tall as Galadriel. Her hair was as dark as night and her eyes glittered. Her face was pale and she wore a dress that reached the ground.  
  
"Who is she?" Frodo whispered.  
  
"She is a Egmil, from the underground of the fairies. She will be the one to help your friend Sam. Her name is Farill."  
  
"Hello Frodo Baggins. The people of Ginlund, my home, are very grateful of your courage."  
  
She bowed with great dignity, her eyes shining through the night. She was at the age of twenty, it looked, but he could not tell for sure.  
  
"We heard of the great battle long after it was over. You see, we were fighting our own battle in the underworld of the Dwarfs. But now we are at peace with them. They are now, our greatest allies. We to are immortal, like the elves, but our time has not come to take leave of Middle-Earth. Our time, the time of the fairies, is not over."  
  
"You have delivered my letter?" asked Frodo.  
  
"Yes, but I did not make myself known to him yet. He has gone to the dwellings of Perigrin Took and Meridoc Brandybuck to ask of their assistance."  
  
"And will they help him?"  
  
"Yes my Frodo, they will."  
  
Frodo sat there, his mind wondered.  
  
"May I help him?"  
  
She kneeled down in front of him. Her eyes were keen and caring. "Do not fear, my Frodo, for I will guide the footsteps of your friend. I will be his shield and guardian in danger and his friend in loneliness. I would spare my life to save your friend. Do not be afraid." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead and then stood once more.  
  
"I leave at day break." She said. "I would wish of you to call my ride back. I am in great debt to you Queen of the Elves." And turning around she left them at the spot of Redell Falls.  
  
Frodo turned to Galadriel and said, "I must too go back to bed now, for it has been a long night." He turned away from the gleaming light, and walked into the shadow.  
  
Frodo awoke the next morn to the sound of the chirping birds in the trees. The warm sun filled the room and everything was peaceful. The night before had been thrilling and Frodo had once again wrote a letter to Sam. In this letter he explained how he was and what it was like here in Redell. How he longed for a companion, like Sam, to be with him at this moment. He told him of the elves, Gandalf, Bilbo and Galadriel. He told of the beauty of Redell Falls and of Farill. Farill had reminded him of someone, someone he had not seen for ages it seemed like. An elf, yes an elf. But he could not come the conclusion of whom. He concluded with" I will continue to write you my dear friend, and I will always be there for you. Sincerely yours, Frodo."  
  
He packed the paper inside another blue envelope and stamped it with clay. He had to get it to Farill before she left for the Shire. He hurried down the stairs and ran to the palace of Galadriel. As he arrived, Bilbo came running out.  
  
"Frodo, oh Frodo, come quick, Farill, she is awaiting your arrival." Frodo ran through the Hall of Mire and up to the feet of Galadriel. Farill stood beside her. Her face glowing, ready for battle.  
  
"My lady, I have another letter," he said holding out the small envelope to Farill. She took it kindly and put it in her pocket.  
  
"It is time for me to go. Do not fear, for I will return someday when evil is overridden, once and for all. For there is no turning back." She did not look as she did the night before, for her dress was more beautiful and she looked ready for whatever would come.  
  
"I must now leave this beautiful place and go back to the world of hate and envy. "she smiled. "But this place will be forever in my heart."  
  
With that she turned and left on the water sailing back to the Shire.  
  
(( 


	5. Chapter 5 The Secret of the Ring

Chapter 5  
  
The Secret of the Ring  
  
Sam walked slowly back to his home. His talk with Marry and Pippin had been delightful and mysterious. They had agreed though, to join him in what ever may come. They had had a cup of tea and discussed the letter. Why it was in a blue envelope they did not know, for no one wrote letters besides men, elves, and dwarfs. The elves were no longer here and the restrictions of their life he did not know of. All he knew was that evil was coming and there would be no one to stop it. He also felt death drawing near but did not fear, nor welcome it. All he wanted was to go with Frodo and to be happy, forever with his family and companions. But he knew that would not happen, just yet.  
  
A cool wind suddenly blew up behind him. The day had been peaceful until now. He did not think much of it, for he had other worries, much greater ones. In the distance a ship silently pulled into the dock. From his home on the top of the hill, he could see much. The dock was in the east where the land met the water. The direction in which the ship had come was that of the Undying lands, but no one would come from there for such joy and happiness was kept there and only the foolish would return.  
  
He kept walking, slow yet steady, but he felt the presence of someone behind him. He turned, but saw no one. He kept waking until he came to the stairs of his house and once again felt the presence. Afraid to turn around, not knowing of the danger that awaited him, he stood there.  
  
"Why do you fear?' a voice said behind him. "Why does your mind trouble you?" Sam turned to a radiant light that was exalted from her. The light was as pure as could be and she looked as an angel sent form above. In her hand she held a blue envelope.  
  
"It was you." Said Sam in awe. "Yes it was I who delivered the letter, but it 'twas not I who wrote it. A dear friend asked me to give it to you." She held out the letter and Sam took it. "Frodo?" "Yes, Frodo Baggins of the Shire." Sam looked at the letter solemnly but doubt filled his mind. "Why are you here?" he asked, mystery and fear in his voice. "We must discuss this later, not here in the open for we do not know what lingers here watching us. Come we must go inside." She said leading him through the door. Inside was warm and smelled like that of fresh baked bread. Sam walked to the table and slid the letter inside the drawer, intending to read it when the right time came.  
  
"What is your name, we have not properly introduced?" Sam asked. "My name is Farill, daughter of Marill from Ginlund. We are fairies, much like elves. And I have come to you now to help you in this time of danger. Sam paused for seconds. He stared out the window, into the peaceful Shire, then turned around to her.  
  
"What is coming?" asked Sam. "Oh Sam, I wish I could fill your mind with everything I know, for I have foreseen it. But it would overwhelm you with much agony that I could only keep it to myself. But you are a clever hobbit, and should only know the bit that haunts me. She paused, a scared look on her face. Saruman has returned." "But how, why?" asked Sam, the fear of knowing in his trembling voice. "Sauron has raised him to fulfill his destiny of taking over Middle-Earth. Although we cannot feel Sauron's presence, Saruman can. It is only a whisper, but a clear one. Sauron has ordered Saruman to gather all creatures to him. He has awakened those that lie beneath the shadows of the mountains, where evil reigns." "But why, what does he want?" he gasped silently for he dreaded what she would say. "The Ring." She said softly. "No, but you don't understand, it was destroyed. I was there." Sam yelled. "No, that is where you are wrong. It was not destroyed, for I have seen it." "What do you mean it was not destroyed?" "When the creature Gollum fell with the ring, Sauron opened the only way out of Mount Doom, and to do this he had to give up all that he was. Although Gollum died, he and the ring fell through a small opening at the base of mount doom and fell though water, and now lay under the base of the mountain. That is why Saruman is gathering all creatures to him in search of the ring and the bearer. Sauron knows exactly where the ring is, but that is one of the many things he cannot tell Saruman. All he can say is 'The ring is alive.' "But what can we do?" asked Sam. "We must ask all of our allies to help us. We must find the ring, and destroy it. For if we throw it into Mount Doom, there is nothing Sauron, nor Saruman can do. It will be destroyed." "Does Frodo know of this?" "No I did not dare tell him, and Galadriels power, the power of the elves is weak, now that they are in the Undying Lands. They no much, but we, the faries, know more. Galadriel cannot tell him, for as far as she knows, the ring was destroyed. But she will find out. It will not be long and all knowledge will come to her about the ring. She knows that Saruman was raised but she does not know why. It is a great fear against her."  
  
Sam arose and tended to the heaping fire at the hearth, overwhelmed at what had been told to him. The fire crackled as logs were thrown upon it, and it blazed with extreme light.  
  
"So our journey was for nothing?" he said to her. "Oh Sam, it was not for nothing, for you made Sauron make a disturbing decision. You destroyed most of him. You destroyed his being. And someone had to do that. We are all grateful for your courage. But now we need your courage now at this time of evil."  
  
In his heart Sam did not want to fight, but he knew that he must; for his sake and the sake of Middle-Earth.  
  
"What must I do?" he asked her. "We must leave tomorrow and meet your friends, Merry and Pippin, and from there go to Kanall, the empire of the dwarfs. It is them who will be our greatest help. For they know the underworld and will be able to help us find, and destroy the ring of power. If they don't, it will all be lost, and the future of Middle-Earth will no longer be in our grasp." "Then we must go." Said he, a sigh escaping from his lips.  
  
Seeing the fear, she leaned down to him.  
  
"It is all right to fear, for not everything in this world is good. Maybe I have lain too hard of troubles upon your shoulders this night. It is late, and we must get a start tomorrow. For it is coming, and there will be no stopping it."  
  
Sam just looked at her and smiled. For every time words left her mouth it was like music to his ears. She was a brave woman and she would fight till the end.  
  
"Well, goodnight then." He said. "I shall leave and be back in the morning." She walked to the door, touched the handle with the most gentle of care but turned around once more. "Sam, I must beg of you not to tell of the evil I have spoken of tonight. It is a secret I am most willing to keep." With that she left, closing the door behind her.  
  
Sam walked over to his desk and pulled out the letter from within the wooden drawer. But as he opened the letter, he heard a voice. A dark voice. A whisper that was evil itself. The silent whisper of 'bring it to me.' Sam yelled grabbing his forehead in pain. The evil voice of Sauron lingered here, the place where the ring was kept for many years. This was the home of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, and was now in his care. But he knew that it was haunted with evil, and he could no longer stay here.  
  
He lay in bed and read the letter from his friend. Almost brought to tears from the love of Frodo, he could not finish the letter. He wanted to write back, but he did not know how it would reach the Undying Lands. The thought was quickly lost and he drifted to sleep in the shadows of the night.  
  
~*~  
  
Sam awoke to the sound of loud knocking on the front door. He quickly got out of bed and he remembered. Today they must leave on their challenging experience. He dressed hastily and leaped to the door,. Outside Farill was standing, ready. She was cloaked in white with a sword in her belt. Not any longer in the gleaming dress, but still full of radiant light.  
  
"Come, you must pack, for it will be a long journey." She said leading him into the house. He rushed in behind her putting clothes, food and water, in a woven bag. They went out the door, knowing they may never see it again. She welcomed that thought, as he feared it. As they left the house, Farill started to walk opposite form the Shire, the opposite direction of meeting Merry and Pippin. "Where are you going?" Sam yelled after her. "Are we not going to meet Merry and Pippin?" "They are meeting us at the Rough Mile, a tower upon the plains. We must hurry so we reach there in time. And be careful, for we are never alone." "How far away is this Rough Mile?" he asked with uneasiness, a smile creeping on his face. She noticed this and smiled. "A fair distance." She gave a petite laugh and continued walking beside him.  
  
They walked all day through the Shire once again, like before. They left his home hoping they would return, but knowing they wouldn't.  
  
(*( 


	6. Chapter 6 The Follower

Chapter 6  
  
From the sky they looked as ants, treading bravely across the open plain. They were determined and ready for what danger they may, and would encounter on this long journey. They had a few days left before they reached the Rough Mile, and that would be when their companionship would start. Once again, they would be reunited with their old friends, the companions of the ring.  
  
"I wonder what the lord Saruman is planning. Will he stop at nothing to find the ring? I am afraid, my lady, that if I find the ring I will not be able to destroy it, just as Frodo was. For he was very weak. As I feel I may be after this journey is over." "You will not be alone in this journey. Hour friends will be with you, and will help you to whatever end, but I fear took of the danger that lay before us. For since I left my home in Ginlund, my powers have faded, and I have strayed much away from my powers. I cannot longer see what I wish and I am in darkness." "You are still good of heart, and you will not turn on me, will you?" he asked looking at her. "Oh Sam, I would never choose such a thing." "You can fight though, cant you. For I cant do it alone. I am very weak of skill." "I think, I may be able to help. Although a woman, I am somewhat skillful with a bow." She said pulling a golden bow from beneath her cloak. Even in the day it glowed with extreme light, just as she did once before. She slipped the bow inside cloak quickly, as though not to be seen. "We Egmil are trained to fight with swords and swords alone. A great love of mine the bow has been and it is a secret now only you know. Since the years of my childhood I have practiced with my bow, and she has never failed me yet." As she said this she kissed her hand and gently placed it upon her heart. "The secret will escape from my grasp once I begin to fight, but it will not matter who shall know, for all that matters is the well being of Middle- Earth.  
  
The wind blew through the tall grasses that surrounded them. A few trees were barley in their grasp of sight, and they longed for a nice spot of shade to rest their weary legs.  
  
"Why did you choose to come with me?" asked Sam picking wildflowers form the grass beneath their treading feet. "Because... she paused not really knowing the answer and searching for it from the depths of her heart. "Because I knew that this journey was very important and that you would not make it alone. You, a hobbit, could never fight all the evil Saruman will send. Frodo has looked, once again, into the mirror and seen what would happen if you fought alone. And that is why I am here. I would rather die than see Middle-Earth fall. It is destiny that I fight." "But will you accept fighting with men?" asked Sam. "Men are weak and deserve no help. But we shall help them, and them help us. Men have fallen with the bearing of the rings, and will fall again." She said walking more quickly. "Yes, I know. But why did not the fairies fall? Was there not a ring also given to the Lords of the Egmil?" "No, there was not. We are not a people of great dignity and many forgot of those called Egmil. We were isolated from the rest of the world, alone in our paradise under the Earth. Until the Dwarfs came, no one knew us. But now it is time to fight together, to rid of evil once and for all."  
  
The sun was slowly setting behind the clouds in the west and night drew near. A light rustle in the trees signaled they were not alone, and they were no longer in the open plains. They had passed into the Forest of Bitha. A small forest it was, with many dangers around every corner. The grass was tall and swayed gently with the light breeze. The plains had given them a safe comfort, and the forest was threatening. But it was the only way to reach their companions at the Rough Mîle. The whole journey through the forest, Farill grasped her bow inside her cloak, ready for something she knew was out there. They never spoke nor looked at each other, their eyes constantly searching the darkness. The path to them was growing darker and more terrifying. But this, Sam thought was only a taste of the danger they would confront.  
  
Sam once turned and looked at her. Her eyes were strait forward and glowed with as much intensity as the rising sun. It frightened him and he turned quickly away. "Come, be quick." She said. "We must abandon the woodland before dusk." They walked a few leagues forward towards the edge of the forest. But she stopped unexpectedly. "Be silent." She said whispering like faint wind through the mourning trees. "What is it?" asked Sam looking forward afraid to turn around. She leaned over and whispered to him. "Something is following us, yet I don't know what it is. She paused as if listening to the footsteps of the lingerer. "It approaches suddenly...then stops." She said grasping her bow and pulling it out from beneath her cloak. "Come, we must hurry." She said taking a single step.  
  
SMACK! The splintering of wood came from her left. A single arrow hung there not but a few inches from her head. Both her and Sam turned. Farill then saw the creature. "An orc." She said firing an arrow. With a yelp of agony he fell dead to the ground. "Hurry Sam, run!" she said firing more arrows into the darkness. Farill and Sam ran backwards through the tall grass, avoiding the shower of arrows upon them. She still fired into the darkness, hitting an orc with every arrow slung from her bow. Sam ran, but tripped over a rotting tree root and fell with a thud so great. He tried to obtain balance, but he stumbled once more in the swaying grass. The glow of the orc blade grew ever nearer in the closing night and still Farill fired at them. The squeals of orcs were constant even in the silence of the forest. Finally it stopped. Once again it was quiet and peaceful as if nothing had ever happened. But that was not so in the real of it. Farill stood beside him, her face full of triumph and fear. "Come," she said helping him up. "We must hurry, for more of them will come, and there will be no hope left for us."  
  
They ran through the quiet of the woods and finally, after hours of treading through the night, they reached the edges of the forest. The stars gleamed brightly against the dark blanket that stretched across the sky. They had once again come to the safety of the plains. They left all the terror from behind and seemed to enter into a world of peace. The only sounds were the rustle of the wind blowing through the tall grasses that surrounded them. Small bugs chirped with delight as their evening meal began, and the sound of mourning turtle doves lingered in the night.  
  
They did not stop, but kept treading softly through the darkness. At times the only sounds were the sounds of their feet and a welcomed feeling entered. The feeling was that of being alone. But Farill knew deep inside her beating heart that they were not and never would be alone. For something in the shadows lingered behind them on their trail. A large creature, almost like human, but had been corrupt by evil. Only three remained now, for nine were once but had fallen into complete darkness and out of existence they were kept. These creatures rode neither horse, nor dragon, but on their own two feet, invisible from sight. But she kept this to herself, in the loneliness of her mind.  
  
Their footstep kept marching until daybreak and finally in their mist was a structure more baffling than any eye has seen. It stood higher than the tallest tree, and its majesty overcame its elegance.  
  
"The Rough Mîle" she said with pleasure. "It was once the home of men of wealthy nature, but they were overtaken by goblins."  
  
"Is it safe?" asked Sam.  
  
"Yes, the goblins did not claim the tower and fled to the Forest of Bitha. We are lucky we made it through that dreadful place alive."  
  
He looked at her. Her eyes were still shining and awake. She looked as if nothing ever happened in the trees far behind them. He was tired and weary already. And the journey had just begun.  
  
"Come," she said, "they are waiting." She started to walk slowly and Sam ran behind to keep from lingering.  
  
Holes of *minkworms were plentiful in the grasses. He kept his guard, watching for the rodent to pop up from their homes under the soil. What a tasty meal they were, for they were not worms at all. A furry animal the sizes of a large fist lingered here in the grasses of the prairie. As far as they walked, one never came to the surface.  
  
*Minkworm- small, fur-like animal (resembles a fox) Finally the tall tower hovered above them and a stone staircase wondered around the boundary. It stretched high to the top, and little caves were lined up around it. Sam looked high into all of the caves, but to his disappointment he saw no signs of any living creatures.  
  
The morning sun was quickly rising in the east and he strained to look any farther into the now so distant caves. He covered his eyes with his hand and looked up strait to the sky. "Why must we go to the top? Cant they meet us down here?" he asked with displeasure.  
  
"It is the only way," she said. She started walking towards the rotting gate at the base. He followed her solemnly knowing it was for the best. She said nothing more. "But why?" he asked wanting the real answer to escape from her lips. She turned to him, the wind blowing through her dark hair. "Because we are in a time of danger this very instinct. We will be safer on top of the tower. We will find our friends there." She said pointing up to the top of the Mîle. A cave, larger than the rest stood there, with an emblem, large enough for the naked eye to read from such a distance.  
  
"Up there, at the tallest cave?" he asked in despair, his weary legs about to collapse beneath him.  
  
"Yes. It is the cave of Rowem, a great king of the Rough Mîle. It is where his tomb was once kept and one who enters will be protected by whatever danger awaits them outside. His spirit lingers there and some say he appears to the wicked when they approach to take their claim."  
  
Sam shivered. Although the warm sun pressed against his back, the cool breeze swept upon him sending a sense of fear down his spine. "I can feel it." Said Sam. "Hurry, they are coming." He ran as fast as his overly large body could carry him, and from behind darted Farill with swiftness beyond unknowing. The steps of the Mîle were hard and gripped his feet well. Although steep, the steps seemed to make him go faster. The wind pushed his body fiercely up the winding stairs and Sam did not dare to look into the dark mysterious caves that passed by his glances. Object seemed to jump out at him. He did not know why things were happening to him and he cried out.  
  
"Farill, help me!" but he heard no answer from behind. His head pounded and he heard voices. Whispers of dark creatures escaped from the caves. He was being drawn to them. As he ran his footsteps were being pulled closer and closer to the dark wall. It was then that he saw them. Three of them dressed in black with cloaks covering their faces. With a piercing squeal they pointed their faces towards the sky. Sam knew they could not see him, but his presence to them was growing. He turned around looking for his beloved companion, for she was nothing more, but Farill had disappeared. "Farill!" he yelled but no answer came. To the top he almost was, but his legs grew weaker with every step. He tried very hard not to give up and to keep going, but suddenly he fell. All of his weight collapsed and he lay there on the step. All hope faded from his view and he longed for someone. He was alone.  
  
He then heard a voice. It was one he had not heard for ages. A dream it was, he thought. But to him it was clear in his mind. It spoke to him with love and tenderness. "You will not fall, for I will be with you and watching you always. May I give you strength."  
  
Sam felt life in him. Just a small amount of hope ran through his body and he stood. His legs felt sturdy and he saw the entrance just ahead.  
  
The squeal of the Nazgúl was close now and he could feel their presence behind him. The door was within feet of his reaching and he ran with all the strength left in him. He ran and ran but the farther he went the farther away the cave of Rowem seemed to get. What kind of evil was this? He thought. Then he remembered what Farill had said. "He appears the wicked when the appear to take their claim." But he was not the evil one. The three behind him were and he had to prove it.  
  
He turned his face towards the wind and yelled. "Depart from me you evil ones, for I am not the one at fate."  
  
The Nazgúl stopped and drew out their swords. With a squeal the charged at him running like the wind. Sam turned and looked at the cave. It still looked miles away. Sam knew his fate was drawing near. He had no hope here at the top of the Mile and he was alone, surrounded by an evil unkillable. His only chances were to jump, or keep running and never reach the opening of the cave.  
  
He drew his sword and looked straight at them, and they stopped. I seemed to him that they were not paying attention. Their hoods were facing him and their red eyes glowed from beneath the cloaks. It was once and the first that he had seen those glowing eyes. A shiver was sent, trickling down his spine. He did not dare turn around but just stared out at the creatures. Their terrifying appearance seemed to strike him dead and he stood there unable to move his trembling feet.  
  
But suddenly, from behind, a wind blew. Sam turned sharply towards the wind and found he was standing inside the long lost cave of Rowem. A light flickered in the distance of the cave. It was dim and barely noticeable, that while light suspended high in the air.  
  
He turned to the light that shown in through the entrance and to his surprise no more evil awaited him there. All he heard was the distant shriek of their being.  
  
"The spirit of Rowem" he said looking intently around the shadows of the cave. The walls were made of hard rock with jewels scattered throughout. The light in the distance flickered and caught his attention. Slowly he walked through that mournful cave through obstacles of every kind. There seemed to be no sign of life and his heart asked fro sound of someone's voice. The small stream of light flickered occasionally and his eyes were kept fixed on it. he did not know what it was or where it came from but something in his heart told him to keep following it with out delay.  
  
As it drew closer a deep ear grew inside him that was threatening. If it weren't a way out, where would it lead? He did not know the answer to this question and feared the outcome, the outcome of this whole journey.  
  
The light drew closer and closer and he clung to the walls of the cave. His thoughts were nothing more then nightmares and he tried to make his mind think of blissful, joyful things and not live them. It was just the way he was. He could not change himself or the way he thought.  
  
In the distance of the caves he heard voices. They were contained as whispers and nothing more. He could not tell from which direction they came or whom it belonged to. His footsteps were clamorous and could silence anyone not intending to be found. Suddenly the white light he had been following went out and a hush fell upon the cave.  
  
"Who is there?" asked Sam with uneasiness. But no one answered. He stood behind a rough corner that entered into a chamber behind. In the darkness he could see no one, but still he entered, intending to find out who the guests were.  
  
Just as he turned the corner, the bright light suddenly flashed and there in his mist stood four of his companions. He was astonished beyond all telling and stood there in awe.  
  
"Gandalf?" he asked. "Are my eyes deceiving me or is that really you?" "No my Samwise, it is I." He said a smile creeping upon his old face. Farill stood beside him, her back strait and tall and her hair lying flat against her back. And from behind her came an noise. Farill jumped and moved aside to see the disturbance from behind her. There sat Merry and Pippin around a burning fire.  
  
"Why Sam, where have you been? We saved you some bacon. Care to have some?" They both laughed loudly together, their laughs echoing throughout the caves. They ran over to him and grasped him in greeting.  
  
They sat around that fire in the safety of the cave long into the night. Gandalf had much to say of the Undying Lands and he talked with exuberance. He enjoyed listening to Gandalf speak and be merry. He thought many times about the turmoil the day had brought. His adventure had been thrilling and it had just begun. 


	7. Chapter 7 The Underworld of Evil

Chapter 7  
  
From the moment Saruman was killed with Wormtounge, his "ally', he was brought down into the underworld of evil. No good lingered there. A barren wasteland it was, made of black ash and rock. Fire constantly burned and only the ones who had pure evil in their rotted hearts were brought to this dreadful place. A place of orcs, goblins, trolls. These creatures crossed the wasteland causing harm to others and hiding behind rocks waiting for a friend to come by for an evening meal. But there was no evening. The hot sun and burning flames continued throughout the day without cease.  
  
Other creatures wondered there. Those, whose hearts were corrupt and who god was Sauron. The served him day by day with out stop and would do what he asked of them. Thousands were brought there every day and more and more bred. Millions there were some so terrifying the human eye could only glance at it and fall dead with fear. Some were like human, or were once human but had passed into darkness and death, corrupted by the evil one. Others were mere creatures with black faces and blood that dripped from their fat mouths. They longed for flesh and had to kill for it. They would come to Middle-Earth if bidden of them by Sauron to corrupt the world of men.  
  
Men were far by the most easily to bring to evil. For men's worst fear was death and it was death that they could not overcome. They did not know what death was like. Some of the intelligent of mind and will found it was a journey where one would not return. Others a trap, where their soul would linger in a place that was worthless, and still some that found it was a world of peace and tranquility where one could spend their days in happiness with the ones they loved.  
  
Men hoped for much, for their greedy minds hoped for riches beyond all telling and wealth that was unreasonable. They wanted power, self-esteem, beauty, and elegance. They wanted to rule great nations and hold the world in their hands. This is why men were weak, and Sauron knew the game they played. He would test their minds by laying opportunities before their very eyes. They in the midst of them he would snatch them up and swallow them whole. Like a mouse sneaking into the whole of fox, searching and hoping for some grain to eat. Sauron never failed. He was and would be one day the ruler of Middle-Earth and all creatures would serve him.  
  
But Sauron was troubled. He was destroyed, unable to return to Middle- Earth. His puppet Saruman had now come to him through death, and would live once again. Here he had a body but was a ghost, a spirit, and for some it was difficult to grasp. Those who could not capture the whole of it were troubled with fear. And this fear was an advantage for the dark one. The fear kept in the minds of men, elves, and dwarfs, hid them from the good they could against him and his power was growing. He laughed a dark, evil laugh for he knew he would one-day rule and the kings and wizards would fall beneath him. The world would grow dark and fire would sprout from the depths of the Earth. Evil, not good, evil would triumph. It had been decades, centuries that good had overpowered evil and now it was time. The most powerful wizards and elves would bow down before him and do nothing but evil.  
  
His kingdom would extend not just to the underworld but to the main ground, to the whole of Middle-Earth. The one place it could not extend to was the Undying Lands. And Lord Sauron knew this. For only good and beauty was kept there and not a single pinch of evil was kept in the hearts of the ones who lived there. His evil soul would not be able to enter that place. The place where the sun always shined, the wind always gentle, and the water always fresh. The place of gold and silver and jewels. The place where all beauty was kept. His heart was poisoned and the beautiful words were ugly to his mind. The title of that beautiful place was ugly. He so much wanted that place to be destroyed. His rotted heart pounded so fervently with anger and power inside his chest that it felt like it would burst out of his body and fling itself unto the ground.  
  
His long black cloak hung to the floor and he walked silently, his feet not touching the floor. His hand was bare where the ring had once been, and now only a stump would be found on the black finger. His skin was as black as night, not because of his race, but because of the evil in his heart. He had never been good of heart. For he was never born. He was not given the chance; nor did he want it. He despised this chance to be righteous and was glad he was not. He had always been, not created by anyone. He was.  
  
The time was growing closer now. There would be peace in Middle-Earth for five years. A sneer came upon his face. He had a plan. All creatures were happy now in these long five years, but it was not over. His reign would still be.  
  
A loud knocking came from the enormous door. It stood twenty feet high with black demons hiding within. An orc came trampling in. His bloody mouth open and ready for kill. He just stood there awaiting his master's approval, for he knew the consequences. The outcome would be his own, and it would give his friends a meal. "Speak," Sauron said staring into the depths of its eyes searching for his heart, but found it had none.  
  
"Your servant Saruman has arrived," it cackled, coughing between sentences. Sauron acted surprised but the dark one knew. He knew all. He knew that his stooge had been killed with his "ally" and had come to him now. He knew this. He could not be fooled nor betrayed. All creatures depended on him and their only choices were life or death. Both he could and would grant unto them. "Bring him in," Sauron scowled behind his breath.  
  
A stapling creature came in tumbling through the doors. His throat was slit, and blood dripped from the wound. His head, almost dangling hung there, but he seemed to be in no pain. If he was he did not scream out but just stood there, in awe of the Dark Lord. Sauron took pleasure in his appearance. But to fulfill his destiny Saruman could not return in this condition. Sauron called to another orc, much more hideous than the first and said to him, "take him away to fix his wound." The orc smiled, his rotted teeth sticking through his black lips. He dragged Saruman by the arm and out of the presence of Sauron. It would not be long now, he thought. Just as he expected, he heard a piercing scream from the wizard Saruman. But Sauron did not care of the pain and agony he was in. It did not phase him. The scream lasted for many minutes and suddenly stopped. He heard and saw the chains that bound Saruman drop and he was lifted up. He had been given life. They dressed him in a black cloak that symbolized great power, evil power. Saruman had been white and white symbolized pureness, but Saruman was not pure. This pleased Sauron. He hated the pure of heart. To him they were weak. They could do nothing now against the ruling of Sauron and Saruman. They would rule together. Saruman would rule middle earth and Sauron would rule the underworld. Still Sauron would be the most powerful. He would not let his power escape from his grasp.  
  
Saruman stood from the plank that had kept him. His hair was a night black and his beard dark. He looked alert and determined. He spoke to Sauron.  
  
"My lord, I have finally come into your presence. But I know that I shall not stay here." "No you shan't," he replied. "I have made you more powerful than before. From now on you shall be known as Saruman the Black." He raised his arm high above his head. The loud grunting of orcs filled the air in approval. They banged their spears and blades against the ground. The floor vibrated about them. Sauron put his arms down and it all stopped on his command. "Come Saruman," he said leading him back through the Door of the Demons that led into his throne room. The shadows moved behind them as they walked and Saruman felt powerful once again. He would stay here and rule the entire underworld with Sauron. But compared to him he felt weak. He was almost nothing compared to the evil might of Sauron.  
  
The throne room was dark and smelled like smoke. His sinuses closed out the smell or else he would have choked. Outside there were strong odors of gasses in the air. This was a death trap for the good that came here. Those who served the dark lord would not die in this place. Sauron protected them. For he had a plan. he would keep them alive until he sent them to the main world. Then they would fight. Most had died in the great battles before, but that was over. No more would die. They would adapt to the changing light and run forever. They would have the emanation of a bloodhound and the sight of a hawk. They would have the swiftness of a cheetah and the brain of a fox. Yet they would be more like animal than human. He had bred thousands, millions of them. Now that Saruman had come to him, he could proclaim his mighty deed.  
  
He called him up to his throne and looked strait at him. Hs eyes glowed red from beneath the mysterious steel mask that covered it. His face was reveled to no one, even to his most faithful subjects, the Nazgúl. This was because there was no face hidden behind the heavy disguise, just a pair of beady eyes. His face had been destroyed. He had given himself to the ring. The same ring that was now lost forever to the world of men. But from the evil that lingered in the underworld it was not lost.  
  
Sauron knew where it was beneath the shadows of the mountain. The lifeless hand of Gollum clasped it tightly, not intending to let go for whatever reason may come. Gollum's spirit had not come to the underworld at his death, for half of him was still good of heart. The hobbit he once was still helped him through dark times. That is why his spirit had not come to this place. He was not perfectly evil.  
  
Saruman stood there. A look of fear came and stayed on his face. He was too much in awe of the dark lord. Sauron knew he had once been an all-powerful wizard that stood beside the Queen Galadriel, but now most of him was corrupt. Standing beside the Queen at this very instant, he would kill her. He was not afraid of Sauron, for fear was when you knew something was against your believing and did not want to partake in what was going to happen. And this was not so. In his heart he loved the dark lord and would die for him. He would do anything for him, until his soul was taken from him once again and then he would rule gloriously with the Lord Sauron. Till that moment though, he would do as he commanded.  
  
"You will return to Middle-Earth as I command to bring it to evil and take all creatures with the fall. You are my servant, and will do as I inquire of you."  
  
"Yes my Lord, whatever you ask of me I shall do in distinction of you. I will not fail. I will bring all Middle-Earth to you and we shall rule together as one."  
  
"No, it will not be as one, for I will always be greater than you for the deed I have bestowed unto you. You will be for all eternity grateful."  
  
"Yes, indeed, my Lord. Whatever you ask." Saruman replied, careful not to mistake his words for what he really meant.  
  
"You will be the ruler of great nations and I the ruler of all beings. Nothing will escape my sight nor my grasp. I will make it known that I am all-powerful. You return to Middle-Earth, but you will not return alone. Orcs and goblins and trolls will accompany you and you will build. You will build a great tower. And in this tower you will create. You will create the strongest blade; one so strong extreme weight would not break it."  
  
"Why my Lord do you bid this of me?" Saruman asked, a sound of question in his determined voice. "What shall my destination be?"  
  
"Your orcs will travel to the Mountain of Fire, and there you will find me. Beneath the depths of the mountain I am. And it is up to you find my being and restore it to me." And as he said this, an evil smile crept upon the scared face of Saruman. He knew what the dark lord meant by this rhyme and he would find it. He could not fail his master. "The ring." He said.  
  
"You will find the ring and bring it to me." He said without question.  
  
"But surely you will tell me where to find the ring. This mountain is far by the greatest mountain in Middle-Earth. It would take years to find it. Or is that what your intention is?"  
  
"This secret cannot escape from my knowledge so I may not tell you. You must find it on your own. If I do tell thee my concealed secret I will be dissolved into nothingness once again." Sauron would not let this happen no matter how much he longed for the ring of power. He could not keep from tempting himself. But he must. They will surly find it, he thought. And if they don't, no one will.  
  
They conversed for many days after that moment, and finally Saruman was ready to leave his glorious master and return to the place of defeat. He would find the ring and return it to his master without harm. For this was the will of Sauron and he would not fail him. 


	8. Chapter 8 The Cave of Rowem

Chapter 8  
The Cave of Rowem  
  
Gandalf sat there on the edge of the Mile, outside the Great Cave of Rowem, his pipe clasped tightly in his mouth. Great puffs of smoke were expelled from the large opening of the pipe. He was yet again in deep thought. He stared out into the morn as the sun rose. His eyes did not once blink, and they were fixed on one thing, the sun. He passed out of thought and time not once thinking about himself. He was dazed at the glory and elegance of the sun as it rose over the dark stretch of the horizon. Its might was overwhelming as it cast a shadow over the small clouds that passed in the way of its radiant light. The sun was the source of life and more powerful than anything on earth. But he feared though that rain and hail would come and destroy the crops and forests. Just as in his life, evil was coming, but they must keep it and him from performing distrustful deeds.  
  
The sun started off slowly rising behind the dark distant land. And as it reached the height of the sky it rose faster and faster until it was a great ball of light shining there above all the clouds.  
  
His companions were not yet awake. They had been weary the night before from their close encounters, but did not give up hope. They couldn't, for there was no room in their troubled minds for lost hope. For if any hope was lost, their journey would be lost as well. They must encourage each other for their sake as well as their friend's sake.  
  
A light wind blew in outside into the heart of the cave where their companions were lying fast asleep on the hard rock floor of the cave. It blew across their faces gently as if the wind had the mind not to wake them. They stirred gently accepting the harshness of the cold morning breeze, but fell back asleep once more.  
  
Gandalf turned towards them and poked them gently with the solid edge of his white staff. He smiled knowing that not even they would awake to such a light touch, so out of curiosity he struck Pippin with the brisk end of his staff on his back side. He awoke with a jolt.  
  
"Who's there!" he said with alarm in his trembling voice, looking intensely around the cave at his companions. Gandalf had turned sharply around, facing the distant sun. He had hoped not to be noticed by the frightened one. His silent laugh was not noticeable and he tried to contain himself from bursting out a hearty laugh. Pippin finally came to his senses and turned towards the old wizard.  
  
"Gandalf!" he yelled. His voice echoed throughout the cave, escaping through the opening. The rest of his comrades awoke restless to the cry of their friend.  
  
"Pip, what's the matter?" Merry yelled sitting up straight from his bed on the cold rock floor.  
  
"What's the trouble?" asked Sam, his arms weak as he pulled himself up.  
  
"It was our old chap Gandalf here. It's a little early Gandalf don't you suppose?" he asked smiling at him. A yawn escaping from his open mouth.  
  
"Of course not," he said, "its nearly noon and the ring will not wait for our arrival. We must go!" he said standing from the bolder he had rested on.  
  
Farill had already awoke and had started cooking the meat of minkworm she had caught in the early hours. The soft, tender flesh cooked slowly over the open fire between two sticks and the flame flickered around it, wanting to engulf it altogether. It turned a dark brown from the light pink it was before and crackled softly as the flames touched it. She leaned over the fire, turning the stick slowly so the meat would not burn.  
  
"We must get use to the taste of minkworm, for we will not go a day without it." She said.  
  
"I surly will not get sick of the taste, for who could pass up the tender meat of minkworm?" protested Sam, his tongue wishing for some. A low rumble came from deep within Sam's stomach and he clutched it tightly.  
  
"Is it almost ready?" inquired Sam licking his hungry lips.  
  
"Patients my Sam, for a virtue it is, and one will not get far without it." Her eyes searched his and she looked away again and stared into the flames of the glowing orange and red fire. It waved slowly in the breeze. She was ashamed to look into his eyes and Sam's heart knew this. He did not mind because he knew nothing would ever happen between them and he trusted her for what his life was worth.  
  
The meat crackled once more and Farill started speaking a language, one Sam nor Merry or Pippin had ever heard. They strained to listen but their ears could not keep up with the words that escaped from her mouth.  
  
"What such language is this?" Sam asked her, but no reply came from her lips.  
  
"Gandalf?" Pippin asked. A sense of pleading help was in his voice. "What is she saying?"  
  
Gandalf turned towards them, the sun shining now at his back. His pipe still smoked heavily and his cheeks puffed out as he inhaled. Pippin raised his eyebrows at him. "Gandalf?" he asked once more. The old wizard listened hard at the words escaping her mouth. Her eyes were closed as if chanting a hymn or prayer. Finally the old wizard opened his mouth. "An old elvish language," he said, "full of mysterious words and songs. It is the language of the Egmil."  
  
"What is she saying?" Merry questioned him again. His mind was full of wonder and curiosity.  
  
"That I do not know." Gandalf replied. "It is an old language that the few and fortunate understand. Remember my hobbit friend, Egmils were not t known people. They were confined with in their home deep in the caverns of the earth. No one knew of their existence until the great clash of races. Then their beauty and knowledge spread throughout the land. But still they are unknown to many." Her words were growing softer and her eyes opened. They glittered, even in the darkness of the cave and seemed to look deep inside all of them, into their hearts.  
  
"It is ready," she said standing from the rock stationed around the burning flames. Her steps went backwards away from the meal, inviting them to their fill. "Come and eat."  
  
Sam walked slowly over to the fire and picked up a small piece of the delicate minkworm. It was warm between his two fingers, but did not burn them. He stuck the morsel in his mouth and swallowed the piece whole. It filled his mouth with richness beyond all telling and he longed for more, but he thought, not until his friends had had their fill.  
  
Merry and Pippin walked slowly towards the open fire. Their eyes kept glancing back and forth at one another. As they walked their steps widened and they were soon racing to get the biggest piece of meat. They were side by side, and the fire was slowly approaching. Gandalf's hearty laugh was heard in the background but that was all. As they neared the open flame Merry's foot caught on a small rock sticking out of the cave floor. Not seeing it approaching he fell forward, his hair barely landing in the fire. Everything seemed to stop. Gandalf's laughing stopped but yet a smile still remained. Pippin's footsteps ceased and he turned and looked down at his friend.  
  
"You fool!" he said laughing. Suddenly the cave was once again filled with laughter, even from Merry. He stood and accepted the meat Pippin held out to him.  
  
"You two will never change!" Gandalf said shaking his head. His white beard had shown brightly in the sunlight. Even the laugh of Farill was heard along with the commotion. It did not last for long, but one could tell it was present. She sat next to Gandalf, eating her fill of the minkworm. She talked occasionally to Gandalf and Sam, and the rest of the morning was calm. They discussed their route to get to Mount Doom, but their thoughts were cluttered and confused of how to escape into Mordor. It would yet again be guarded by evil, for Sauron knew that the ring, the one true ring, was not destroyed. His followers would travel form the Underworld of Evil to the Mountain of Fire and there they would dig. This Gandalf knew and he shared his thoughts with the rest of his companions.  
  
His eyes wondered ever so often at the cry of a crow. Spies, he thought, but it was usually a helpless bird fighting its way against the strong wind. There was no shelter in which they could hide from the dark forces of Sauron. No place to run, no place to hide. Their journey was a secret from the rest of the world and to themselves. They did not know where their journey would lead they, nor did they care. Their worries were not where their journey would end, but where their journey would lead next. They, or Gandalf, did not care of the far future just yet. Gandalf did not know the ideas of his friends but wished to have knowledge of them. At times they hid their ideas from their partners, afraid to ask a ridiculous question and risk being looked down upon. Gandalf did not know why they thought this, for their main and final goal was to work together. They must stay as one whole and never bring each other down, due to their thoughts. Many times he tried to pry their thoughts out of their minds but it only left them helpless and more clueless instead. They were lost in this world of evil with no place to turn for the help they pleaded for. They were on their own.  
  
It was mid-afternoon and they had all grown drowsy due to lack of sleep. They were strong and ready to journey onward but their minds were tired from the long journey to the Mîle. All but Gandalf and Farill wanted to wait another day to rest and recover from the long journey, but they continually reminded them. "Come, we must leave. You know our journey will be long and continuous and will not wait. For time does not wait, it only continues." Gandalf would say to them. He knew they would be tired by just traveling and would need rest, but they were barely far into their journey. To Gandalf it was like it hadn't even begun.  
  
He was occasionally surprised by the knowledge that Farill kept in her mind. They often conversed, sometimes leaving Sam and his friends out of the conversation because their feeble and untrained minds would not understand. She had the gift of foresight but would seldom see into the future. Her powers were most effective when she lived in her home in Ginlund, but were weakened after she left for one reason. This reason was so that if she at all costs became evil, she would not be able to determine the future and plan for the best.  
  
After discussing all the possible routes with Farill, she explained to him her home life. She was the daughter of a mighty king in Ginlund, and the commander of the cavalry. They had won many battles against the dwarfs in the Battle of the Races, and held a mighty fortress in the underworld. It was known as the Stone Fortress. Many had died there in the Great Battle, but died with courage that one day their people would own this land once again and someday rule together with the dwarfs. And they were right. "The dwarfs are our greatest ally's now. They will help us to whatever end." She informed Gandalf with a stern look on her beautiful face. "That will be of great help to us in finding the lost power. We will not only need to find the ring, but also fight any evil that tries to stop us from finding our destination. We will need armies and Calvary. Any help will be of honor to us." Gandalf replied smoking his pipe and thinking. Many thoughts passed through his brain and he thought over them all. But none seemed to have an answer awaiting him. He was not confused, just in disarray. He tried to look as if he knew just what to do for he did not want to let his companions know he did not know a solution to their problem. So he sat out again on the edge of the Rough Mîle overlooking the plains until the sun set behind the clouds and night began to creep upon the land. There thought about all the possible solutions that they could ever fight through.  
  
Hours passed by and the soft chirp of crickets began to play in the grasses below. A soft and cold breeze passed by his face and behind him his friends were drifting one by one asleep. Finally he was the last awake and in his mind he conversed with the Queen Galadriel. Although he could not talk back to her in the far so distant land, he could hear her voice in his head, and he would think of what to say to her and her voice would reply back. It was a strange thing, talking to a Queen many leagues away and still it seemed that she was there sitting beside him on that rock quarry. He told her about the ring and why Saruman was sent back to the world of evil. She guided his mind in all the right directions and would never let his guidance be of failure. Finally after hours of sitting there listening to her voice come in the wind, it disappeared and the wind stopped. He knew she had gone and he paced back into the cave and slept with the rest of his companions.  
(*( 


	9. Chapter 9 The Parting at Kapual

Chapter 9  
The Parting at Kapüal  
  
Night. Darkness. Fear. The time when the sky turned black and caused everything around to fall under its dark spell. It was something no one nor nothing could overcome. The terrible time when fear came upon the land and everything had a mysterious silence to its being. Nothing moved nor stirred. Everything was still. That night, not even the quiet chirp of a small cricket was heard to the ear of one who passed. Everything was quiet. For everyone and everything was aware of the evil and danger that lingered in the dark. The evil that constantly searched the darkness for whom they awaited. They feared nothing and no one. They were the all-powerful creatures, that is, below their leader, he whose name was too great to be mentioned in any place or time. They walked slowly, stopping every so often to smell the moving air through their heavy masks that covered their faceless faces.  
  
There was no fear kept behind those masks. Their senses were keen and aware. Although their eyesight was incapable of seeing objects, they could smell the presence of an ant. The one thing they were drawn to was no where to be found in the barren plain amongst the tall swaying grasses that seemed to topple over at any slight movement. But they, at that moment, were no searching for "it" but instead for "whom". They felt their presence and felt they were full of life-giving strength, but wanted them to be empty. The only thing contained with in them would be death. They would rot and do no good towards good and no good towards evil. They wanted them to be lifeless.  
  
Gandalf awoke sharply at a late hour of evening. He had heard a noise, like those of a screeching hawk swooping down to catch its prey. But it was no flying creature, but yet a hunting one. They were hunting for two things at this moment in their everlasting lives, the companions, and the ring. He looked out upon the frivolous prairie but saw not even one of them in the night. Once in a long while the shimmering moon would cast a glimpse of sparkle on their black cloaks, but to him it was not a thing of beauty. It was ugly, hideous, and grotesque. Also, full of mystery and secret. At times, their fiery eyes would appear in the somber light sending a queer feeling down ones spine. A trickle of horror and panic tat would make the weak of heart and mind fall with fear.  
  
Gandalf lit a candle and set it on a small rock in front of his tall body. Gently he pulled a stack of papers and manuscripts from his cloak. Slowly, one by one, he read each word carefully without delay, trying to comprehend what the great wizards of the past tried to make sense of. As the writing became more interesting, his eyes glanced faster and faster past the pages. Many were foolish, he thought, back when they knew not what kind of events were taking place around them. Some had predicted the future, but not as far ahead as today. They spoke of a great power, not in the form of man or beast, that would be used for evil and evil alone. Only the good could destroy it. Things they spoke of had been fulfilled as in the past, but had come again. The great ancestors did not speak of things, for their great and phenomenal minds could not search that far into the future of the world of men. Their words of knowledge could not help them now; nothing could.  
  
At times, Gandalf feared, that loud scream came so close he would become face to face with the creature. It was times like these his internal fear came alive. He had defeated many horrifying beasts, but these were much stronger that him. But inside the cave of Rowem, no evil should pass. They were safe now, but not forever. They could not linger here so that the ring be found b its true master. They had to leave, but not during the evil hours of night. The only thing evil hated was light and beauty. They could not withstand the light, for it was a source of beauty. Beauty and love would be untied in the end, maybe. That is, if they reached and completed their final destination. If.  
  
He tried to fall asleep many times after reading his share of passages from his crumpled manuscripts, but none of the times he succeeded. His weary eyes would not close and stay that way. He was too much in fear from what danger lingered out in the dark. At daybreak, he decided, we must leave at once. Still on their tracks far behind them, would be those lingering ones. Nevertheless, maybe, just maybe, he thought, they could lose them by escaping during the night. He waited for many minutes for the cease of the shriek as a sign of safety. Hey he would awake his friends. Nevertheless, he would not awake them unless he knew it was safe. He would sit, listening to the wailing wind for a scream to travel within it. However, it would fool him, for if it was silent for an hour, he knew they were not yet gone. Sure enough, a sharp squeal would pierce his ears.  
  
Finally, after hours of waiting, not even a rustle of the grass could be heard. He stood slowly, his knees strong beneath him, and walked over to Sam. He slept curled in a fetal position, his legs tucked tightly to his chest. He slept soundly, for even if a violent storm were to come about and shake the earth till it fell beneath the surface, not even then would he awake. Gandalf knew that Sam could not learn the habits of this sleep. If danger came his way, he would not wake up, even to the loudest of noises.  
  
Gandalf towered above his stout body and gently poked his left arm with the end of his staff. Sam stirred, his eyes blinding, trying to focus on his disturber. It was difficult, for the night was dark and no light shown upon his face. Gandalf lifted his staff and let it drop with a soft thud. A bright light was ignited from the top where a crystal was attached. Sam could then see him at once.  
  
"You really are a disturber of the peace, Gandalf." He said yawning.  
  
"Yes, well it is not for my good but yours. He said quieting his voice to a whisper once more.  
  
Sam sat up and rubbed his weary eyes.  
  
"What is it Gandalf?" He inquired.  
  
"It is time to leave. The evil has quieted its movements and, as I suspect, has fled from this place. Now is the time."  
  
"Are you sure of this Gandalf?" Sam said standing and walking over to the opening of the cave. He searched the open plain with his tired eyes. "Is it safe?" That was all his mind longed to know. He did not care what else came, as long as he was safe.  
  
"Would my weary heart feel the need to lie to your ears? I would not feel any worse if I led you into a death trap at this moment." He said looking into the eyes of his old friend.  
  
"No, Gandalf, you wouldn't." Sam replied. "We must wake the others. What a task that will be." A smile crept on his face and he trotted around the cave kicking each of them as he went. They all awoke suddenly and rubbed the sore spot where they had been attacked. By the time he reached Farill, he stopped. The floor was empty at the place where she had laid. Nothing was there that stated her belonging.  
  
"She's gone." Sam informed them, looking over his shoulder. Gandalf turned towards him but said nothing. His eyes were wide and full of worry. They seemed to go numb in their sockets and he just waited.  
  
Merry and Pippin looked at each other, then at Gandalf, waiting for an answer.  
  
"What should we do?" Pippin asked Gandalf in a half-worried voice. Merry didn't say anything mostly because no thought of care entered his mind. This event worried him little.  
  
"Stay here hobbits." Gandalf said grabbing his staff and journeying out the entrance of the cave. Merry looked at Pippin and they agreed on one thing.  
  
"Let's go!" Pippin asserted grabbing his large knapsack and slinging it over his broad shoulder that landed upon his back. A lout clinging came from inside his sack and he stopped suddenly.  
  
"My gosh Pip, will you shut up!" Merry said suddenly in a quiet whisper. Pippin stood there listening to the sounds of Gandalf outside searching for Farill.  
  
"He must have not heard us." Pippin said turning around to them. "Come on!" He gathered himself to start out.  
  
Merry followed behind pippin without delay but there were no footsteps that followed behind him.  
  
"Sam are you coming?" he asked turning towards him. "I don't think we should, not without Gandalf anyway." He stood, worried with fear for his friends and himself.  
  
"Come on Sam, we'll be safe. Don't worry." Pippin reassured him.  
  
"You better be right." Sam said following them in the same matter.  
  
As they stepped out into the night, the moon shown brightly on the dark, tall, rock mound. It glittered with delight as if it were being bathed in the dark light. The rustling grass often spooked them for they knew not what lingered out there. Yet, they were high upon a tall rock quarry. Nothing could attack them without their noticing. Not up here.  
  
Pippin led the way; following the sounds from the wind. Merry followed Pippin and Sam followed Merry. Their footsteps were silent as they climbed the walls of the Mîle. As they got to the top, Pippin stopped. There on the edge of the Mîle was Farill. She was bent down with her ear pressed tightly against a rock that had been hurled aloft there. Merry ran over to her and stood behind her. Her eyes were closed and she sat there as if dead. Finally she stood as Pippin and Sam approached.  
  
"They are still out there, for they have not yet returned to their evil fortress of the underworld." She said. "If we intend to leave, we must leave now.  
  
"Where are they at?" Pippin asked. She looked out over the plain and as Sam noticed, her eyes glowed intently once again. They searched the grasses below but then stopped suddenly.  
  
"There!" she pointed towards the North. A glimmer of cloth quickly flashed, then disappeared as fast as one could blink.  
  
"About a fair lengths walk." Gandalf said, approaching behind them.  
  
"What do you intend we do?" Farill asked Gandalf turning towards him. Her eyes died down as she lessened her gaze across the prairie, but yet they were filled with fire.  
  
"We will leave." Gandalf told them earnestly, beckoning them towards the edge of the cliff. "Come, before they become aware of our leaving."  
  
The three hobbits followed Gandalf quickly; their footsteps quiet without a sound. And behind them came Farill, but she was not again searching the plains. She had zoned back to their life and ran to the beginning of the line, next to the tall body of Gandalf.  
  
They climbed down the rock quarry, quietly scampering past the black haunted caves. They were no longer filled with spirits that lashed out their evil forked tongues at their presence, but now they had fallen asleep. Nothing stirred within their beings and the hearts of Sam and Farill were calm once again.  
  
When they got to the bottom, a sense of relief filled their hearts. Yet, they knew not why, for they were in more danger than before. No one said anything to one another. Once in a while, Pippin would sneeze, causing a riot amongst them. Any slight movement could trigger the sense of being to the ones they feared.  
  
"Sam." Gandalf whispered to him from behind. They reached a tall elevation and the way up was difficult. By the time they were half way up the hill, their breath was gone. They no longer had the energy to do anything, but in their weary hearts, they knew the only thing they could do was keep going. One could, and would have turned back if they had been alone, but the helpful reassurance of their friends was great. Every so often, when a head would lower in despair, Farill would put her hand on their shoulder and tell them to keep going. That there journey would not lead to death, but life in a beautiful friendship. Every one of them hoped she was right.  
  
As Sam heard his name, he trotted up towards the top of the hill. It was much greater that a hill though, more like a small mountain. He and Frodo hadn't come this way before and wondered why Gandalf had chose this path to lead them.  
  
"Gandalf, this is not the way to Bree, it's the other direction." Sam pointed to his left.  
  
"I know Sam. But it is out of pure curiosity that fate has led us this way. For the Nazgúl have minds and memories too, you know, and will remember the way in which you traveled before. They will track you down like bees searching for honey. And when that happens, there is no escape from them. It is far too dangerous."  
  
They kept walking and suddenly the afternoon sun struck their eyes as they reached the brink of the mountain. Sam ran past Gandalf to the very edge where the mountain discontinued. He gasped as he looked over the edge. To eh south he could see the remains of Isengard, the tower standing in a dry wasteland, not any longer bearing water from the dam. The deep holes that were once infested by orcs remained but not as deep as before. Sand and silt and water filled its boundaries and great lakes formed within them.  
  
He turned and looked to the east, the direction in which they were traveling, and there he saw the Misty Mountains far off in the distance. Their majesty was great and clouds formed at their snowy tips. A great silence and solitude filled the air in that direction towards the far off mountains. Mystery was filled in the caves and not even the bravest of elves, dwarfs, nor men would travel into certain parts of them. They were infested with evil beyond all telling and not all evil that lingered in the pits of the mountains was living. Many were dead and were just spirits; ghosts. They awaited no one for that was their solitary place of rest. Those who disturbed them would be killed or slit at the neck by the king of their kind. Many who had fled from this world, fled into the Misty Mountains, but were not fleeing from danger but welcoming it in a way. They came there to flee from the danger they encountered in their daily lives, but usually would have been better off if they had accepted the wrong they committed. For them, it would have been better if they were never born. For their lives could only end in death or destruction once they passed into the entrance of the mountains lair.  
  
He looked into the distance, past Isengard and into the distance only a speck could be seen. He feared yet once again what his eyes tried to see. He saw it the same as he did five years ago. Orodruin exploded constantly sending great puffs of black smoke from its opening. Red and black were the only colors one could see in that place. That evil place. Mordor. He dreaded, almost feared this place, the place where their destiny lied. A thick mountain ring surrounded the boundary, but on the other side lay dust and ash. As the wind blew, great amounts of dirt were thrown into the air, causing one to suffocate. Everything was dead once again, just as before, as if a great shield were placed on top of it, causing no sunlight to shine there. And that was where they must go. That was where their journey would end.  
  
Sam turned to Gandalf and saw his eyes searching the land that lay below.  
  
"Where do we go now Gandalf?" Sam asked him as the others approached from behind.  
  
"We will need more men to fight against the evils of Mordor, so we must find armies. This is where we part."  
  
Sam turned to Gandalf and pippin stepped beside him.  
  
"What do you mean?" Pippin questioned him, curiosity and fear in his voice. "You can't leave us Gandalf, you're our guide. How will we know which way to go?"  
  
"You will be fine, my friends." Gandalf reassured them. "Just do what is right and listen to within yourselves. Remember that your final destination is Mordor. But you must now travel to the Adari Pass. It is a kingdom of dwarfs in the Misty Mountains. That is where I will meet you."  
  
"Gandalf, if you say it will be all right, then I guess you know better than any of us." Merry told him, almost begging him to stay.  
  
"Where will you go?" Farill asked him, accepting the knowledge to enter her brain.  
  
"To fetch great armies and greet great kings." He turned towards the west and puckered his lips together. A loud whistle came from them. First high, then low, and from the distance a stallion galloped majestically across the plains. Its white mane dazzled in the sunlight and not a speck of dirt nor dust was kept within its hair. It neighed loudly to make Gandalf aware of his arrival  
  
Farill turned sharply towards the west to see to whom Gandalf was calling. The light wind blew her dark, black hair and her dress waved in the wind behind her. She marveled at the horse and a smile crept upon her beautiful, pale face.  
  
"It's a horse bred by the elves. What majesty it holds within its mane." Her words spoke to herself. As it approached, it slowed to a trot and went straight to Gandalf.  
  
"Shadowfax." Sam said in awe.  
  
"Yes, he has been my friend in danger, and has never failed me. Shadowfax." Gandalf said rubbing his mane. "You know were to go." He said mounting Shadowfax. He grasped his staff tightly in one hand and Shadowfax's mane in the other. "I will meet you there." With that said, he kicked the stallion sharply and shot off, the wind itself not able to keep up.  
  
Farill and the hobbits watched as their guide rode off in the distance.  
  
"Rohan." Sam said in a deep voice.  
  
"What?" Pippin asked turning to his friend. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Gandalf is riding to Rohan, the great empire of horses." Sam replied to them pointing in the direction in which Gandalf had traveled.  
  
"I feel alone. Like there in no one to guide us, for there is no one except you Farill. Do you know the way to this place?" Merry asked.  
  
"I have heard of it, and know the way, but yet I have never took the path less traveled. My people, the Egmils, will help us. I can feel it."  
  
"Then we must leave. What is the quickest way to the Adari Pass?" Sam asked her.  
  
"The quickest way is to travel to Tharbad and from there, pass through the Mines of Moria. That route would take us to the land of the Egmil, where we could ask their assistance. If they agree, we will continue around Fangorn Forest and enter the Adari Pass. There we will meet Gandalf. But I must warn you, the quickest path is not always the safest."  
  
"Although we have never passed through Tharbad, this road seems safe. Now that the Baldrog is destroyed, we will only have to get through the Mines unnoticed." Sam turned to Pippin and glared. Pippin hung his head in despair, embarrassed by his mistake from the past.  
  
"That is true." Agreed Farill nodding her head nobly, her hair blew behind her. We must get started off. And ration your food, for it will not last long." She said warning them.  
  
They followed behind her down the mountain as the sun was beginning to set. There on the side of the mountain was a small overhang made of rock. It faced the east and they seemed protected from the wind. That night they settled there and cooked minkworm over the fire. The sunset and crickets chirped out in the grasses below. It was becoming more and more peaceful outside in the setting light, and they all slept soundly under the stars.  
  
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	10. Chapter 10 The City of Tharbad

Chapter 10  
The City of Tharbad  
  
The morning sun rose quickly during the late hour of morning during these close to winter months. The wind had chilled them as they slept the night before in the overhang of the cave. Yet hard, the cave had given them protection against the blazing wind that never seamed to cease. Sam had awaked that morning and went out in search for firewood that had died back in time and now had dried enough to burn. He climbed down the rough terrain, which took him quite a while, he but managed to accomplish his goal. When he reached an area that was plentiful with trees, he went around searching the barren ground for a tree branch that had fell from the strength of the wind. He managed to find a few but he knew it would not be enough to support a fire to cook a meal. His mind became discouraged but decided to find dried grass instead.  
  
His hands were full as he made his journey back up the mountain to his companions that were still sleeping soundly on the rock floor. He set the materials on the floor of the cave and arranged it into a circle. Two rocks were found lying on the floor and he rubbed them together to produce a spark of light.  
  
The fire crackled, awakening his friends. They yawned with displeasure. Although tired, they seemed awakened from the vicious smoke and blazing flame. They each stood, one by one, and stretched their arms high in the air getting ready to travel.  
  
Sam picked up his knapsack and slung it over his back as a sign of preparation to them all.  
  
"Your not meaning to leave already are you. It's nearly sun-up and already your leaving us behind?" Pippin exclaimed.  
  
"Yes I do intend to leave. Remember what Gandalf said? He said 'the ring will not wait for us and if we do not take action, it will be found by its true master.' Common'." Sam waived his arm towards the opening of the cave.  
  
They all ventured out into the morning to start the new day like they had in many days in the past. In every one of their hearts there was pain and loneliness. The pain and loneliness was not only physical, but also internal. Their backs were strong, but yet weakened and their minds full of anxiety. As they trod down the mountainside, they could feel the taunting of evil around them. The evil spirits that came up from the underworld in search of the ring. Their pounding footsteps echoed in their ears and their hearts beat with excitement. Sam stopped suddenly and listened. A low rumble had now surrounded them since they stepped foot on the open prairies.  
  
"Don't you feel it?" Sam asked looking at his companions.  
  
"Feel what?" Farill had turned and looked behind her. "Those?"  
  
A heard of wild horses came running swiftly behind them. Each ones mane glittered in the sunlight and the wind sang soundly through their long tails. Their sounds moved longingly in the wind that trailed behind them. They followed their leader, a mare that's mane dazzled black in the sun. He was stern and intended for no company at this hour, but when they approached the treading company he neighed and slowed to a trot, guiding his herd to circle around them.  
  
The alliance looked stern and afraid of the surrounding horses that never obeyed mans command. All of them but Farill. She stepped out amongst them and walked up to the mare. Her words were soothing to his ears as she stroked his mane. Slowly his hoofs stepped back, sending puffs of dust up into the air. He neighed once more, and still words escaped Farill's mouth. Finally the mare was out of the circle of wild horses and Farill turned to the hobbits.  
  
"We ride." She said, a smile creeping on to her face. With that she walked to the horse closest to her tall body and mounted it with great pride. She flung back her dark hair, which matched the color of her horses mane, and her sword sheathe stuck out from her apparel and hung down. She grabbed its mane tightly and kicked hard at its side. The three hobbits did the same in her image, mounting a horse, each one of different color. Their stubby legs barley reached the horses side and with great difficulty they managed to strike the horse, just as Farill had done before.  
  
The great herd still watched as some of their company treaded away slowly and then turned to their leader. He stood there, staring strait into the eyes of Farill, who also stared at him. Over her shoulder her eyes glanced back and forth from him to the sky and finally she turned her horse around and dismounted it. She slowly walked back toward the mare and stroking its mane said a short 'thank you' to its kind face.  
  
The hobbits watched as she communicated to the mare and yet they said nothing worth hearing. Their frightened minds were alert up on the high mount of hair and muscle. They were apprehensive about heights and never seemed to care for them much. But they knew their journey had and would again take them to much greater heights and levels. They minded much, and wanted to continue forth on this journey, for the thought of evil still lingered in their minds and they feared even the tinniest of winds that blew through the grasses that surrounded them. They watched her in disbelief as she raised her hand to the horses and quickly ran back to her mare. She jumped on her horse shortly to see the herd dash off into the distance following their vigorous leader. Great clouds of dust were left in their trails and they rode north towards the Weather Hills and the Lost Realm of Arnor. They watched until they could see no more of the pack, only a speck in the distance.  
  
Farill then kicked her horse, alerting the others who had gotten caught in the beauty of the day and the marvel of the earth. They did the same, following her lead towards the city of Tharbad.  
  
They did not know what this city would be like, for none of them had gone in this direction to the destination of their choosing, which indeed was the shameful place of Mordor. The direction in which they traveled at this time of day was to the southeast towards the river of Gwathld (Greyflood).  
  
They rode next to each other in groups of two, first Farill and Sam, then Merry and Pippin following. They rode swiftly through the tall grasses and small shrubs that brushed the warm ground beneath their feet. The wind blew through their shaggy hair that had not been groomed for many days since their departing from Hobbiton. Their least of their worries was their appearance, for who was to care what their face looked like to others on the road with them, for they all looked the same to each other. None of them cared the least and concentrated on the quest that lay ahead and that was already beginning to come upon them.  
  
"Merry, have we got anything to eat in that immensely large pouch?" asked Pippin as his stomach gave off a rude growl. "I don't know how farther I can last without another bite of food."  
  
"I am sorry Pip, but if we want to keep from starving at the end of our journey, we must save our provisions and eat when the time is crucial." Said Merry. "We can't risk it."  
  
"Merry is right." Heeded Farill over her shoulder. "We must save it, for our stomach will not agree with us when there is little food and only dark puddles of poisonous water in the land of Mordor. We must ration ourselves for that time."  
  
Pippin carefully thought about her words and looked back down at his stomach high upon the horse's posterior. He did not agree with this train of thought and wished that he had had the decision of carrying the large bag. Then there would have been no denying him of the food. He sat quietly as his brain storming ideas raced through his mind and the horse bounced him up and down at a slow trot.  
  
Sam had been sitting quietly upon his horse, not saying a word and only thinking to himself of the beautiful landscape of Redell. He could only imagine what it would look like, the beautiful buildings and calm waters. The sweet sound of chirping birds and the quiet wind blowing through the golden trees. O how he wished his time would end here so he could pass into the realm of the Undying, but he knew that he could not go there unless he was beckoned by those much grater than he. Those who's power was unlimited and who knew and could see all. Only by the Queen Galadriel could he enter to the Undying Lands. But first he had to prove to her and himself that he was worthy of entering that perfect place. First he had to finish the task he was asked to do. First he had to find the ring and destroy it. "Where is this city of Tharbad?" asked Sam. "Its whereabouts can not be far from here. My horse grows tired by the minute and I can not risk him getting weak."  
  
"It is not far from here. Only a few leagues more and we shall enter the boundary of Dwaith. We will see the city from this mountain we are about to encounter and from there we will take the less steep journey down so our horses will not stumble and fall down the side of the mountain. It is on their behalf that we travel this way."  
  
"What shall happen when we come to places where our horses can not follow?" Asked Pippin. "What shall we do then?"  
  
"Set them free of course, 'member Pip, with Sam's old horse. When we reached the gate of Moria it was set free and never seen again. Isn't that right Sam, you never saw that old chap again did you!"  
  
"I'm afraid I didn't. I wonder what ever happened to him." Sam uttered.  
  
"Probably loosed out in the wilderness somewhere, and later killed by some foul orc. Shame. He was worth the keepin' if we had the choice." Said Pippin thinking rather rudely out loud. "But really, the choice was not for us to make. He would have been killed any way in the caves of Moria."  
  
"Yes you are right." Said Sam thoughtfully to him. "He wouldn't have lasted much longer."  
  
Dark clouds filled the sky and the wind blew them in the direction of the South as they progressed up the mountain. The wind chilled their bones and the day seemed to change to night. The sky grew darker and the fluffy clouds turned into giant villains ready to pour down upon them with all their might and send them deep into the earth. They kicked their horses driving them up the steepness of the cold cliff. Swiftly they hurried as not to be caught in the upcoming siege. When they reached the top they looked over the boundary to see the city below. Its great stone structures stretched high into the sky and great towers protected the city. A vast wall surrounded the city and a massive gate guarded the entry. The river Gwathld traveled directly beside the city, and the North-South Road traveled through it. A large bridge could be seen from the opposite side of the city that crossed the great river and landed on the bank behind the city. It was immensely large and seemed to stretch for miles in range but they knew it couldn't.  
  
"Come, let us ride, for the king of Dwaith will let us dwell here until the foul weather passes and we are able to ride again," said Farill. "We shall not be caught out in the storm when it is at it's worst."  
  
She rode alongside the mountain face until they reached a pathway that had been carved into the mountainside by the people of Tharbad so trade could enter the city. It led down the mountainside to the front of the city where the gate lay. This road was not as steep and coarse sand was laid upon it as to make it easier to travel on. Farill led the way intending to make it down the mountain before heavy drops poured upon their heads like an ant in morning dew. The horses traveled quickly down the path, aware of the storms high above their heads. The soft sand skidded beneath their hoofs and they sometimes slipped due to their fast pace.  
  
When they reached the bottom the shadow of clouds surrounded them as they made their way into the city. As they approached the large wooden doors, they heard shouts of men from above inside the rock walls. The horses kept riding with out delay at the gate and as they approached the big doors creaked as they opened to greet them on their arrival. In the companions rode to the city that was deserted by mostly everyone that lived there. For they wanted to escape the expected storm that continually hovered above their city.  
  
Farill led the hobbits to the great fortress where the king sat upon his throne. They dismounted their horses, leaving them in the stables next to the great stairway and entered the palace made of rock and stone. Farill lifted her dress as she trod up the stairway outside the fortress. She warned them carefully as she walked. "Do not give any clues of the ring and where its whereabouts are. For we do not know of which side this king belongs. He could be an enemy, for we can not trust any one. He may kill us at sight if he perceives that we know where the ring is hidden. So keep still and quiet and let me speak."  
  
She turned and walked up to the door as the guards opened it. They walked inside and saw the king sitting there upon his throne gazing into an object much like one of them had seen before. He covered it quickly with a cloak when he saw the visitors approaching. He looked up sternly as if not welcoming guests at this time. An evil eye spied the halflings as they walked up to the throne to greet him. He quickly put on a phony smile and pretended to greet them with pleasure.  
  
"Welcome friends." The king said. "What brings you, an Egmil and three halflings to me on such a turbulent night?" he questioned them as he rubbed his chin. His eyes burned fire and his angry heart was hidden by his joyful face expression.  
  
"We come to ask of shelter from the storm that is quickly approaching. It is nothing much that we ask of. Just some safety until the storm passes." Said Farill.  
  
He sat there and thought, looking into the eyes of each one of them, searching for an answer that he could not find.  
  
"Where might your destination lead?" he asked them.  
  
"We plan to travel to Rohan to meet our friend. We have plans with him in that city." Farill spoke.  
  
The king turned to the hobbits, in particular Sam and looked him straight in the eye. "Where have you traveled from?" the king asked him.  
  
Farill answered quickly "Hobbiton." But the king said to himself. "Let the halfling speak. He has a voice has he not." He eyed her out of the corner of his eye and then turned back to Sam. "Where are you from?"  
  
He turned to Farill and she just looked at him, waiting to hear what his answer might be. He turned back to the king. "I am from the Shire, and my name is Samwise Gamgee." Sam looked at his feet once he had said this, too afraid to look into the eyes of the king.  
  
The king's eyes widened as Sam had mentioned the word Shire. He had heard this word before, long ago, when the evil one was searching for one ring. It was heard to be in the hands of a hobbit from the Shire.  
  
"Where at in the Shire did you say, Samwise Gamgee?"  
  
"Hobbiton." He answered calmly, for he knew what this man was getting to. He had to hide his identity but he had already told the king exactly who he was. There was no escaping now.  
  
"I see." The king said. "Yes, I shall grant you one night and more if you wish. But, see to it that I know of your departure and that is not kept a secret from me also." An evil smile crept upon his face, and the companions turned to leave from that place. They raced out the door in an unnoticeable fashion as not to let the king see their flee out of the throne room. When they reached outside Farill let out a big breath and yet she did not speak. She walked down the stairs into the main part of the city with the hobbits following close behind.  
  
They reached a room that was open to their use and once they had all entered Farill quickly locked the door behind them.  
  
"He is evil!" she exclaimed. "His eyes burned like fire and I could tell that he knew about the ring. He knew you Sam! He had heard about the ring and the hobbits that traveled with it to Barad-dur. He is in union with the evil Sauron and now will try to get any information out of you Sam to find the ring."  
  
"Then we must leave immediately after the storm ceases. We cannot risk staying here tonight."  
  
"Yes I agree." Merry replied.  
  
"After of course we get a bit to eat." Pippin exclaimed immediately. "I could not live with out a bite of food."  
  
They ate and finally slept for the rest of the night, one always staying awake to watch for unwanted guests and for the storm to cease. And long into the night they watched but the storm continued without stop and finally they all slept, not soundly for they feared the approaching men that would kill them if they with held any information from them about the ring. But finally they could not help it and all fell asleep, with the storm raging outside in the city of Tharbad.  
  
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	11. Chapter 11 The Dungeons of Tharbad

**Chapter 11**

**Dungeons of Tharbad**

**Sam awoke abruptly in the middle of the night. It had indeed been his turn to keep watch for any intruders that they did not wish for, and for any unexpected guests, but consequently he had drifted off into a sleep that was too foolish for his own good. His mind had awakened him on that cold, stormy night, which never seemed to still, and made him aware of a disturbance outside in the village. He looked around the room at his companions, but yet they had not been awakened by the loud clamor. Only he had been awakened.**

**He climbed out of bed and walked over to the window that looked outside their room. The sky was dark, for clouds kept the moon from shining amongst the ground, and kept the stars from twinkling with delight. And still, in the dark sky, the storm raged on with as much fury as a herd of bulls ready to charge. Sam knew the storm did not intend to leave within a few hours, and that they would have to escape in the pouring rain if they must. This did not please Sam very much, for he was not a hobbit who favored being wet. But if it were the only way out of their danger, then he would not be concerned.**

**The street was dark and no figures could be seen moving out in the rain. The noises had stopped and Sam's fears started to calm, until he heard it again. The sounds of a searching object. The sound of a intruding person. Once again Sam became frightened. He ran over to Farill and shook her abruptly trying to wake her. She rose up looking at Sam with alert eyes. **

"**What is it?" she asked him standing sternly.**

"**I heard a noise outside our room. It was like someone was more curious than his or her own good. I am worried about what is out there. For it is not a friend of our knowing that we can trust. No one is worth our trusting in these parts."**

**She walked over to the window and looked out onto the streets. Her eyes burned out with severity and appeared to glow. It looked from an outsider as if a candle had been set ablaze in the small window. For they could not see her body from the rain patterns on the window, only a dim light was burning from inside the room. **

**She kept looking out into the city and once in a while would see an object sneak around a corner and vanish into the darkness. She could not tell for sure how many were out there for they were quite unnoticeable in the dark and pouring rain. **

**By now, Merry and Pippin had awoken to the sound of their scurrying around the room in anxiety, and walked over to the window. Their minds did not know what was going on at that moment and were, at first, afraid to ask. So they stood there, not able to see out the window but wondering what Sam and Farill were looking for. **

**Pippin finally got up the will to ask their worried friends what was bothering them. They explained to him about the foul noises that had awoken them. And finally no more could be heard outside their window and they all decided to go back to bed and yet be cautious for what was waiting for them. So they all climbed back in bed, being sure to keep the door locked that left their room. **

**It was peaceful outside, for no more doors crashed and no more voices could be heard to the ears of the hobbits. But something still lingered out in the city, and Farill was aware of this. She had pretended to fall asleep, keeping her eyes closed and not rousing around with distress. She waited and listened, for although the hobbits felt the calmness within, she didn't. In her bed she could feel the heavy footsteps that sneaked around their room just waiting for them to investigate and come out of the door that entered their room. The item that troubled Farill the worst was the thought of the creature. She did not know what it was. It could be an orc, sneaking around the city looking for a late night meal, or more likely it could be a group of men, waiting for them. A group of men that were evil and did not want Middle-Earth to survive. **

**Finally when Farill was lying there so still, as if her body had lost its life, a shadow looked into the window. She heard its approach and opened her eyes. A figure of a man stood there. His eyes were glowing with sternness and once she saw him look to his side then giving no warning his shadow faded away into the dark. Farill sat up and stared at the door. For she knew he was not the only other standing watch for the right moment. Finally she knew the time had come. A loud crash came and Farill saw that the men that had come for them had caved in the door. A dozen of them came running in, seizing Farill and the three hobbits by their arms and carried them out of the room. Sam tried to struggle free but Farill stopped him by yelling at him to still. He stopped and looked at her as if the devil had crossed her mind. She just looked at the one holding her captive and asked him "where are you taking us?" Her words were harsh and her eyes angry. **

"**We have been ordered by the king of Tharbad that we bring you and your friends to him immediately. He wishes to question you for the rest of the night." **

**With that, they dragged the captives out of the room and into the dark, damp street. They walked slowly up the hill that led to the castle it was a hard walk and the men would not let them go and walk freely by themselves for the chance that they would try to escape would be high. When they got to the fortress they locked the prisoners in a jail cell until the king willed to speak with them. **

**The dungeon was dark and cold from the rain that had come through the small cell window. It did not look inviting to any of the companions, nor did any dungeons throughout all the land. It smelled of must and dirt from the lack of will power that the guards portrayed in their efforts of cleaning. It seemed the one kept captive before them was not completely healthy for the time before he was set free, or, was put to death. They hated the sound of that word for if this was where it ended, then their journey would have been completely in vain. They will have done no good to the world of men and hobbits and all other creatures, and so in by doing this, the evil one will have triumphed. But that is if their journey was to end here. They all hoped that was not the end that was to come, but they did not have a choice in the matter. **

**They walked inside as the guards escorted them inside. Their hands were now bound by heavy twine behind their back. The guards threw the hobbits inside the cell, with them all landing with a thud. Farill shrieked with disapproval at the sight of the behavior before her. She would have never dreamed that these men could be so harsh to the ones of innocence. She turned and looked into the eyes of the one that held her captive. **

"**Sir, if you don't mind, I think I can do quite well walking myself into the cell. A woman like me is perfectly capable, don't you think?"**

**He just stared at her and slowly let her go by the wrists, and as she left she struck her foot hard onto his. He doubled over and held his foot with his hands. He cursed under his breath and then turned and walked out the door, slamming it behind him. It was then locked and finally the only sounds were the pats of many footsteps walking away from the site. **

**Farill walked over to a far wall that was right beneath the open window. It was barred and only the foul winds came rushing through. It was so dark one could not see each other when sitting across the room. Nor could they see the things that surrounded them. For the room was not empty, and once Farill's eyes adjusted to the dim light, she could make out what surrounded her. Her eyes glowed as they searched the room and she suddenly saw it.**

"**Don't you see it?" she asked her companions.**

"**See what?" said Sam in a voice so depressed one would burst out in tears at the sound of it. He did not have any hope left in his troubled mind and nor did he care. All he knew was that whatever was to come would be the end. There was no hope to be found. **

**Pippin stood from his seat against the wall and looked around. "See what?"**

"**Look." said Farill pointing to the far wall by which none of them sat. There against the wall was a rack and on that rack were many bottles of wine. A large barrel sat beside it and many barrels surrounded the wall opposite.**

"**We are in no dungeon. Can't you see we are in a wine cellar? It is not a wonder that this room smells like that of must. This place has been abandoned for years and since then, they have used it as a dungeon. For as I can guess, there is no dungeon in the city of Tharbad. There is just an abundance of rooms in the hall."**

"**What does that matter?" asked Sam looking all the more tired from the long journey. "What does it matter that we are in a wine cellar. It is no different than a dungeon. Can't you see? It still is a room where one can be bound. It is still a room with a door, and a lock. Why does it matter that the room is what it is? It makes no difference."**

"**O Sam," she said walking over to her friend. "Why must you loose hope so easily. Why are the thoughts that pass through your mind the most discouraging ones? Do you not see the beauty and happiness in everything that occurs around you?" she was troubled by the one who could loose hope so easily. He did not look up at her and just stared at his feet that were covered with sweat and dirt from the gravel roads. She just continued.**

"**If you loose hope to the point of giving up, well, this journey will be over. And as I see it, this journey will not end here, in this dungeon. If this journey is to end, I would rather have it end with us fighting together for our lands then us rotting away in a cell." **

**Sam looked up at the sound of these words and smiled. She smiled in return back at his face for the joy had returned and there was once again hope in their hearts. **

"**What do you intend we do?" asked Merry who had been listening from a distance. **

"**I am not sure," replied Farill. "But I will not give up until I find a way out of this place." She looked at them all one at a time. "And I hope none of you give up either." **

**All of them smiled at the bravery of their friend. They knew she would find a way, if there was one. There had to be a way, for if there wasn't a way, then their journey would be over. They would not let that happen. **

**For the remainder of the night, Farill stood pacing around the room, her mind was trying to think of a plan. Once in a while she would stop and sit down, for her legs had grown tired and her mind had grown weary. She knew that in the morning, the king would question them, for he was conscious that the companions knew the whereabouts of the ring. He would ask them until they would speak and torture if it was necessary. And in their case, torture would be a necessity. For no matter what happened, they would not tell him anything. They knew too much. **

**She sat there for hours, just waiting, thinking of a plan, but none reached her mind. **

**When the first rays of sun reached the horizon and a spark of light drifted its way into the dark cell room, Farill still had not thought of a plan for their escape. She knew that if she did not think of one soon that time would be up. Then their would be no hope for the world. Her anxiety was growing and yet it could to be helped. Although she was immortal, she still feared. She feared of things like failure, and death. She knew that if she could stay alive until the Great Battle was finished, then she would live forever, knowing in her heart that she helped prevail the good in Middle-Earth. **

**As the sun quickly rose before her eyes she noticed something. There on the hard rock floor was a small row of ants making their way to the pile of barrels in the corner of the room. They made a straight line as the traveled from the crack in the wall. **

**Farill stood from the place where she sat and knelt down to the height of the insects. She crawled on the floor slowly, following their every step. She watched them closely as not to loose sight of them amongst the floor in which they blended. **

**Around her, her companions slept soundly on the floor. Sweet thoughts filled their dreams and they were not aroused by the tinniest of sounds. She knew what it was that they were dreaming of; their home. She knew it was not their dream in life, to go on a journey to save others from destruction, but they had no choice. This was what they had to do, and somehow she too knew it was hard to accept.**

**She had now reached the corner of the room in which the barrels were. The line of ants twisted and turned between he barrels that were clasped tightly together. In fright of loosing the trail, she moved the barrels one by one, almost throwing them across the room. If they had not been even half full of wine, they would nave flew across the room in such a racket and woken up the guards. Six barrels sat there in the corner and as she moved the barrels, a thin line was drawn in the rock floor. It was barley a few inches wide and in the far corner, closest to the wall was a crack in which the ants entered. At the moment saw this, she knew what it was that she saw. The thin line is the rock floor was more than just a line, it was a crack. And this crack was the way for their escape. It was an opening out of the cell room. **

**She ran hastily over to Sam who lay curled up in the corner. "Sam, Sam wake up!" she beckoned him. He stirred and all at once his eyes flashed open as if he had not been asleep at all. **

"**What is it?" he asked her sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "What is troubling you?" he knew something was wrong by the erect tone in her voice, but he could not trigger the thought. **

"**Nothing is wrong. Well I suppose something could be terribly wrong, but I don't know. But come and see, quick!"**

**She led him over to the corner of the room in which the barrels had lay before and there she showed him the door. It blended into the rock floor as if it wasn't there but still if one looked closely, they could see the dim outline of the portal. **

"**What is it?" he asked her, for he could not see what her eyes could. **

"**Can't you see it?" she asked him in disarray. She knelt down to the floor and with her index finger, traced the outline of the door. **

"**Farill, you have found it!" he cried with happiness and awe. "You have found our escape!" **

"**Yes, but the trouble now is, well, _how_ it is exactly that we are to escape. I can not know for sure until it is opened. But yet how are we to open it?" **

**Sam looked around the room for the answer. He searched and searched but he could not find what he was looking for. For what was there to use to escape from a dungeon? Only the least intelligent would make that mistake. They only thing kept in the wince cellar was the barrels. They were made of hard wood planks, positioned around in a circle to form the shape of the barrel. Inside, they knew, was wine. In some, it filled the brink of the barrel, but in others, it was only half full, or in their case, half-empty. **

**The time was aging and the sun rose quicker and quicker. Time was running out and this fear brought panic. The panic that would ruin and destroy them. The panic that would conclude their journey forever. **

**The chaos around the room aroused Pippin. He sat up form where he lay and stared at the two. His mind was aware that something had come about, but he did not know exactly. His heart grew angry and he could no longer contain his anger. He stood and facing them, burst out all his anger that was kept inside his beating heart. **

"**Why! Why is it that Samwise Gamgee gets all the important news first and foremost? Why is it always him and not I that receives the attention?" he glared at Sam in the same way a angry dog stares at a cat that had wondered onto his territory. Sam was amazed at the fury of his companion. He knew that there was some dark evil at work here. That the king of Tharbad was trying to split their friendship so that one of them, particularly Pippin, would confess to him where their journey was really leading. For this clever, corrupt king seemed to know everything about them, like a father knows his son or an animal knows it's territory. But this could not happen. **

"**Pippin, this is no time to argue. I have found a way to escape from this horrible place. Can you not see? Asked Farill. "I will not risk our friendship for fatuous things. Indeed I will not let it. Now come out of your shell of jealousy and help us find a way to escape from this grimacing place."**

**Pippin's heart softened as she said this, for he knew she was right, but only enough to decide to help them. There was yet a clump of jealousy and hatred that lingered in his heart. This was not over, he thought, for he could not let go of the problems I his troubled mind. They were now a part of his being. For since Merry had informed him that the Evil one thought the ring was in his procession, he could not bear to feel unneeded. His worst fear was to go throughout life as a nobody who was helpless and shy. Perhaps, the blame was to rest on his shoulders for the trouble he had put his companions in their last journey. He had put them in the way of death and almost caused their destruction. He would not let that happen this time. He would not let his jealousy overcome the love that seemed to be hidden within his heart. **

**All the bickering and thought had taken a quarter of an hour. This worried them and they strained to think of a plan. The commotion around the room had awoken Merry from his tiresome rest. His eyes were no longer bloodshot and he looked well rested. But then, how could one feel fully rested if they were to know that their last hours on earth were ending? **

**As Farill paced across the room, she walked from wall to wall that contained the barred window. As she approached it, the sun cast a blinding glare on her face. A small stool had been placed beneath the window from the last prisoner kept captive in this cellar. She helped herself onto the stool and looked outside into the village. It was quiet outside, all except the sound of flowing water. She had heard this sound before but did not pay mind to it . Now as she listened, it was more emense. All she could see was the distant river Gwathld flowing southeast to the sea. But surely, that sound could not come from Gwathld. For it was a quiet, yet wide river that flowed silently to the sea. It was very unlikely that that was what her ears had heard. **

"**What do you see? Asked Merry walking over to her. **

"**Nothing. It is quiet and noting stirs within the city. It is very strange. I do not like the city itself. It is possessed by the evil one."**

**As she stared out upon the city, all sense came to her. The despair, the loneliness, the pain. It was all present. She could yet not tell her friends that it was over for she would not bare to spread what she felt inside. In her very heart she knew it was not over somehow, but deep inside, somewhere, something told her that it would end. Maybe not today this very hour but in the future. She grabbed on to the bars of the window and hung her head in despair. The one bar that her left hand grasped squirmed as her weight hung from it. And yet, they were not shaped like bars. They were flat, like she had never seen before. She did not know why they were flat, only once it had been completely covered to act like a wall, but once it contained prisoners, they removed some of them in order to let light flood into the room. **

**She turned with great nobility and let herself down gracefully from the chair. A large smile filed her face and her eyes were once again alive. **

"**I have found it!" she exclaimed. "But I shall need your help hobbits."**

**Sam and Pippin walked over to her. **

"**What have you found?" Pippin asked her.**

"**Do you see that bar? The one in the far left corner?"**

"**Why yes, but what about it? Why is it more important than the rest?" he declared.**

"**Come and see." She said beckoning them over to the window. Sam reached his arm up to the window and grasped it as Farill had done. **

"**Its about to come loose! If we can pull it out, we may be able to fit through the hole."**

**He yanked on the bar, until his arms started to shake rapidly. At one point, he was afraid they would give out from lack of rest, but that ceased to happen. The concrete that cemented the bar on the top was breaking loose, and finally with all his might, he pulled one last time. The bar ripped from the concrete as if the stone had forfeited the fight. He toppled off the stool and onto the floor, the metal bar clanking to the ground and landing only a few steps away. Merry and Pippin ran over to his aid after his triumph. He sat up, holding his head with his large hand, and rubbed his fingers over the bump that had formed on the back of his scull. He pulled his hand away and examined it, for a trickle of blood coated his fingers, but that didn't matter. He had done it and they were all going to be free. **

**Farill stood over the trap door and hardly noticed that Sam had fallen. She looked over momentarily to see how the procedure was coming along, but to the hobbits, she was in her own little world away from all action and distress. Her face was emotionless and here eyes stared at the heavy door. She was listening very hard for what she knew was coming.**

**Sam had just stood with the help of his friends when Farill looked up at them with terrifying eyes. **

"**Hurry, put the barrels back from which they came from!"**

**Pippin was about to ask why, but before he could she looked him straight in the eye and gave him that look that said, 'there is no time to ask questions now. Just do as I say!'**

**They all ran to the opposite end of the room and started replacing the barrels one by one. They set the metal rod in the center so they would not loose it. When the last barrel had been set in place, it was silent. And then the sound of a key in the lock could be heard coming from the door. It was time. **

**The guard opened the wooden door and stepped inside. He glanced back at his partner and whispered something the hobbits could not hear. The second guard left and the first beckoned them to come out. They just stood there as if the world had ended right before their eyes and they were not satisfied with the life they had lived. Maybe their fear _was _because of this reason, but they did not know. They stood there very stiff as if they were struck dead at that very moment. For they knew it was too late. Their time was ending. They wanted to accept this fate but they couldn't. Their hearts were blinded by what was _suppose _to happen, and not what was happening right then. **

**Farill glanced back at the hobbits and looked at them in such a way that everything may or may not be all right. They had been so close to their escape, but now it was too late. **

**Farill began walking towards the guard, who had not suspected the secret they hid behind their imaginary masks. He stared at her as she walked towards him, for her beauty was too great for his mortal eyes. To him, she glowed with some sort of power, light, that one could not imagine. He grew weak in his body and seemed to fall to her power. But he stood up straight and led them out of the cell room. **

**Sam looked back at the barrels in the corner. They would escape, somehow. He turned and the guard shut the door behind them. **


	12. Chapter 12 The Great Escape

**Chapter 12**

**The Great Escape**

**The hall of the long corridor was quiet, all except the faint dripping of a wall, letting the rain water seep into its boundaries. The cold floor was damp, for they wore no shoes on their feet. Cobwebs gathered in the darkest corners, where the spiders waited for their prey. It was dark, besides the fiery torch the guard held high above his head to light the way. It burned with a dim light that was barely visible a few steps ahead. The prisoners walked in a straight line, one behind the other. First Farill, followed by Pippin, Merry and lastly Sam. They were quiet, their minds numb with fear. They knew what lay ahead, and could not accept this reality. They had been set on a journey to complete a task. Was this how it was to end? Farill turned her head and looked at Sam behind her. Fear gathered in her eyes, and as Sam saw this, his hope and bravery faded. If their leader lost hope, he did not know what would happen.**

**The guard that led them was a large, muscular man. He paid little attention to the prisoners as they walked behind him. His days were filled with nothing more than the service to the king. His wages were little, but yet enough to support his small family. Did he not understand? Did he ever once imagine that these prisoners that would be sentenced to death carried the fate of the world on their shoulders? That the future of his family relied on them? Of course he could not understand the realness of it when he was surrounded by evil. He was only a character in a dream. Unable to control the timeless events that affected him. He was being played, tricked into ideas is heart could not understand. **

**They walked outside into the quietness of Tharbad. No bells rang, no birds sang their songs of joy. It's eerie-ness filled their ears and Sam trembled. As he walked he managed to kick Merry on the back of his leg. He turned abruptly. **

"**Merry, do you remember what it was that Gandalf said to us before his departure?" **

**Merry desperately shook his head, yet faced forward again. **

"**He said, 'Do what is right and listen to within yourself.'"**

"**What do you suppose that means? Merry asked. **

"**I'm not sure, but we must keep ourselves from any foolish acts. Any slip and we could be done. We must not speak if the king questions us." **

**Merry nodded his head reverently. Then he gestured to Pippin who was close in front of him. Sam could tell that the words Merry spoke were his own and he became deeply relieved. Although Pippin had greatly matured since their last adventure, there was still a part of him that seemed to jump with excitement. There were some things he could not keep quiet about, and this, this was one of them. **

**Pippin looked back at Sam and his eyes seemed to agree. He acknowledged his faults and was willing to change. **

**The building in front of them was massive. Its heights reached new levels as it soared into the sky. The guard led them up to the stone steps and as they approached, a voice yelled, and the great doors opened before their eyes. Inside sat the king upon his thrown, waiting. His eyes were cold and his movements ceased. A new presence had awoke the spirits within the great hall. Monuments of the great kings stood in their places, their stone faces resting peacefully. This hall was highly decorated with gold glimmering in the walls, and decorative purple curtains hung along the windows. It was a room fit for a king, but the cold breeze froze the beauty that lay within. The frost was thick among the flowers, the ones that brought beauty. **

**They walked forward, their footsteps light as not to make a sound. They were nervous, trembling for what was to come, the fate of the ring at their fingertips. The king looked up as the prisoners trod towards him. His eyes were cold, frozen like everything else in the room. **

**A bitter smile crept quietly upon his face. He recognized them. Somehow, somewhere, although he had never spoken their names. All of them he recognized except the elf.**

"**My friends." He said welcoming them. But they did not feel welcomed. An eerie feeling settled into their minds keeping them from speaking. **

**Seeing that they did not return the reply the king continued.**

"**You are from the Shire, and your name is Samwise Gamgee, is it not? Yes Sam, I know much about you." His eyes suddenly shifted to Sam. And yet, his face was emotionless. **

**Sam did not speak, yet he felt the wrath of evil come down upon him. The pounding of footsteps echoed in his head from under his feet. Sounds, voices, luring him in to the evil that knew all. All except this. All except the power that lay beneath the depths of one certain mountain that planted its roots in Mordor. **

"**Speak!" the voice interrupted his thoughts and he jumped.**

"**I have nothing to say." Sam said. **

"**The King will not take this for an answer!" he yelled slapping his hand down upon the arm of his throne. **

"**Your majesty, we have no need to answer ur questions, for our hearts are clean and our business is our own!" she replied.**

**His eyes shifted once again to her. She was much too powerful and this he knew. He feared her power and could not answer to her plea. **

"**If you are not willing to speak, there will be consequences." He said in a low voice. **

**The guard saw his position was needed and stepped in to assist the king. The guard asked him, "Should I summon the executioner?" **

"**No, I think we should give them time." He smiled a cold smile. "Send them back to the jail cell. I have found out enough. I know your mission, for a possession of mine tells me these facts, and nor does it fail me."**

**The king turned to the guard once more. "Keep them in the cell until they are ready to speak. If they are never willing to tell me where they are going, let them rot for all I care!" They turned and followed the guard that had opened the heavy door. **

**The way back was slow and when they finally reached the room, they waited. They waited for the door to lock and waited for the presence of the guard to leave.**

**Dusk was falling upon the city and yet, all was quiet. Nothing had stirred all day, but this they decided was for the better. **

**Farill ran over to the door and unpiled the barrels. The metal rod still stuck there and she picked it up from its hiding spot. **

**She stuck it in the crevice and pulled with all her might. It opened a crack and then finally she was able to stick her hand through the hole. The hobbits ran over, excited to see what lay beyond. They heaved it up and set it on its side. Below lay the rushing of water. Its current was strong and yet the bottom was visible. Now Sam understood.**

"**But I can not swim."**

**Farill turned to him, her eyes dumbstruck. "What do you mean? We shall not be swimming!" **

"**How then are we to escape if we are not to swim?" asked Pippin. **

"**If Frodo was here, he could figure it out for sure!" said Sam, looking doubtfully upon his self. **

"**No, we are to escape a way other than swimming!" she said looking over to the barrels. The hobbits turned their heads.**

"**Farill, you brilliant!" Merry shouted. **

"**Shh," she said looking towards the door. "They may still be out there."**

**Merry quickly covered his mouth, acknowledging his mistake. Pippin nudged him in the side and Merry quickly shot a grin back at him. Now he had been the foolish one.  
**

"**You are nothing more than children!" Sam exclaimed, a worried smile escaping from its hiding place. **

"**The barrels had nothing inside their boundaries, and were completely hollow. The tops could be pried open and for this they used the rod. The lids popped off with such a sound that concluded that some sort of seal was present. It echoed loudly throughout the room, bouncing off the stone walls. **

"**Hopefully that did not cause a riot outside!" Farill acknowledged moving along to the next barrel and it again sounded with a loud pop. By the time four had been opened, their ears rang with such a profound ringing, they could barely stand the noise. **

"**Where will it take us?" Pippin asked suddenly, from his watching spot against the wall. The room grew quiet and everyone stopped. He had a troubled look on his face that made the others joy sink into the pits of their stomachs. They had never thought about this concept before. They were all curious now. Farill looked down upon the water and back to the window. The river flowed southwest into the great water. "It is flowing slow, we may be able to swim to shore, maybe. That is if the current doesn't take us. I make no promises to you at this point. **

**Sam's eyes opened wide. A great fear entered his face and he just stood there is disarray. **

"**But he cannot swim." Merry said pointing to Sam, recognizing his fear. **

"**Well…"began Farill but Sam interrupted her. **

"**No," he said, "I will be able to withstand it. Do not worry about me." **

**No one knew what would happen next. There was a long silence, and finally Farill spoke up, breaking the ice. **

"**Well then, if you're sure…"**

"**Yes, yes I am sure. I will not stop this pursuit because of my childless fear."**

**He went and climbed into a barrel. It was a tight fit, but he managed to slide in. Farill came and with one last goodbye, put the top on and hoisted him over the stone edge. Sam glided along the top of the water, in nothing but blackness. He could feel the coldness of the water on the outside of the barrel, but none was seeping in. He let out a sigh of relief, but he heard another faint splash behind him. He was not alone. They were in some kind of tunnel that led them under the city. It was still dark, and the faint splashing of water could be heard hitting the sides of the walls. His feet grew cold and numb, no blood was circulating. His phobia was becoming more and more life-threatening as he let his power sink into the hands of the cold rushing water of the river. He could not tell if the others had made it. Was Farill able to close herself in or was she still a prisoner of evil? He was curled up and his knees were almost touching his chest. He could not stay like this for long. They floated for a while longer and finally he could see they had passed out of the tunnel and into the wide-open river. But yet he could not yell out, for there were guards standing every few feet. They would not grow suspicious at the sight of a few many barrels floating down the river. It was common unless…**

**He heard a voice yell from behind him. "Abandon your cover. Shore is not far!" it belonged to Farill and he knew there was a chance. Above him there were two handles that withdrew inward from the top. This was their last chance, but he could not force himself to just push open the lid. His fear was too great now to overcome. But it was his only hope to escape from the evil of Tharbad, and he had no other choice. He pushed with all his might at the top and it popped off. It had been sitting upright but now had flipped over and water streamed in the opening. He was completely drenched but he knew he could now make it. He pushed off the bottom and his legs became free from their enchamberment. He kicked with all his might and slowly he could feel himself gliding to shore. The current was strong and he gasped for air as his head bobbed up and down below the water surface. A rocky shore could be seen on the other side and Pippin's head was elevating out of the water. He climbed on to shore as Merry followed him. Farill too was already on shore and Sam felt a great relief. **

"**Common Sam!" yelled Pippin from ashore. He was almost there, and he let his legs relax for one second and floated closer and closer to shore. Finally with all his strength he gave a mighty kick, and soft sand filled in between his toes. Its warm sensation filled his whole body. He had made it. **

"**Sam, are you alright?" Merry exclaimed helping him to shore. **

"**Yes, yes I am fine." He replied.**

**He _had_ made it, and his only fear now was the rest of their journey. **


	13. Chapter 13 The New Arrival

I have finally decided to write some more, after the fairly long break I took. It may be up to the amount of feedback I get to determine if this book continues. I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to read my fanfic. The imput really helps me. Thanks especially to: **Eryn Galen,** **Evendim**, **aragorn kid, CARIO ISLEY, The General of Darkness, Lancetree80, Psycho Elf, Gozilla, Cerrudin Evereven, shie1dmaidenofrohan. **I really enjoy the feedback. I'll keep u posted as to when I post chapters. Thank you again for reading, and here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 14 

**He sighed softly. It was only a matter of time until it happened. His mind raced with excitement as he sat, remembering the day all evil fell. What a wonderful day it had been. A day full of anxiety of awaiting what he knew was coming. A great joy, a great resposiblility. It was life beneath the darkness, he reason she had stayed. Hope was the reason she had chose him. She saw the life, and embraced it, as she let her own life slip through her fingers. A great sacrifice, a great pain. **

**And then, behind all the waiting, the moment came. His guard ran into his presence to announce the arrival of his son. His heart had leapt for joy and he immediately left all his duties to visit this blessing. It lay there with such delicacy in his mother's arms. He did not cry, he did not move. But the smile on her face left him with knowing that all would be okay. She knew she had made the right decision, even if her fathers choice did not prevail. Of course her father loved her, but she also loved another. She could not loose either of them. **

"**Aragorn," she whispered softly, " embrace your child." His eyebrows raised as he took his son into his arms. He was so small now, so delicate. But one day he knew, he would grow up to be a great fighter to lead his people. He would be the one to take the throne after old age and time accepted his father. **

"**What shall you name your son?" she asked him gently. It was her son, yet not her responsibility. He would be taught to fight, and not the ways of the house. She would loose him, but he could not escape from her heart. **

"**Eldarion." He replied looking into the eyes of his son. "Eldarion."**

"**He loves you." she replied.**

**His tiny hand had grasped his finger. It was his song, the one whom he had dreamed about. Many long nights came and he wondered if it was possible. Was the love there? But now, he knew it was meant to be. No more heartache of waiting lay in the shadows. All that was meant to be had come, what more could he want?**

"**What are you thinking about?" she asked him. "Your heart is troubled, is it not?"**

"**I…I don't know." His eyes shifted to the floor. He did not know what to tell her. Was this feeling real? The arrival of his son should have brought him much joy, and peace. Why did he feel so empty?**

"**Aragorn?" her eyes were troubled. She sensed uncertainty, but did not say anything. **

"**No, its nothing." He replied handing his son back to her. He lifted his eyes off the floor. Sorrow erupted through them as they met hers. "I must go."**

He turned and trod slowly out of the room. His footsteps were heavy. He could not believe that this reality would come this soon. How long? How long must he wait until she too would leave him? It was only a matter of time now, and he knew that time would not wait for him to grasp it. It would corrupt many, taking the forsaken and innocent with it. Only time.

Yes I know this chapter is short. It is kindof a reflection chapter, of what Aragorn felt after his son was born. This part is important for later themes in later chapters. Please let me know what you think. Thanks again!


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